My grandparents ate Crisco—a product notoriously high in “trans” (hydrogenated) fats—daily for years, and that practice may have contributed to their heart disease (they both suffered heart attacks). I personally seek to minimize the trans fats in my diet; I eat a tiny amount a few times per year at most.

But people have a moral right to eat hydrogenated fat if they want, and producers have a right to sell it or include it in their products, so long as they don’t do so fraudulently.

No one is forcing any consumer to eat trans fats. Parents who do not want their children to eat hydrogenated fats are free not to buy it. If enough people decide to stop buying products containing hydrogenated fats, then manufacturers will stop or reduce production of them—as they already have to a large degree.

In general, adults have a right to do anything that does not infringe on the rights of others, even if it’s potentially harmful to them. Other examples include smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, and snowboarding. . . .

Return to Top
You have loader more free article(s) this month   |   Already a subscriber? Log in

Thank you for reading
The Objective Standard

Enjoy unlimited access to The Objective Standard for less than $5 per month
See Options
  Already a subscriber? Log in

Pin It on Pinterest