[mk]

"My hypothalamus must be less developed, since my cravings tend to go towards basic taste directions, e.g. something salty, something sweet, something umami, &c."

Good for you, though I can tell from your vocabulary that you're not six years old!

And I had it a bit tongue-in-cheek backwards--it's the ability of the golden arch, etc. to stimulate that craving. It's challenging to explain to a child in "I want that" mode that they've been manipulated.

Anyway, my point stands: banning junk food won't do that much good, the material ingredients are not the root of the problem. It would probably have the opposite effect, further entrenching the mindset that someone else is responsible for one's health. And if I learned one thing from watching Big Sugar, it's that new laws probably aren't required, there appear to be plenty of existing laws to enforce first.

Now taxing this stuff, that's another thing altogether. Do you get a government to raise operating revenues be exploiting a known cultural vulnerability, while at the same time purporting to be advising people against the excesses? Hasn't seemed to work for gambling, smoking, drinking-- governments often seem to be the most addicted!