The bill was authored by state Sen. Tony Smith, a Republican who owns the Stonewall’s BBQ chain, who said government shouldn't tell people what they cannot eat.
Sen. Tony Smith, R-Picayune, checks his ribs and chicken barbecuing on the grill during the North vs. South Cookout held Monday, April 23, 2012 on the grounds of the Old Capitol in Jackson, Miss. Sens. Smith and Willie Simmons, D-Cleveland, showcased their cooking talents to raise funds for the Mississippi Military Family Relief Fund.
Lawmakers in Mississippi — the most obese state in the nation — have overwhelmingly approved what they’re calling the "anti-Bloomberg bill."
It would ban communities from requiring restaurants to post calorie counts on menus or limit portion sizes, as Mayor Bloomberg tried to do with his proposed ban on large sodas. Also forbidden: any local rule banning toys from being distributed with kids’ meals.
The governor is expected to sign it.
Smith told the Daily News that Bloomberg‘s proposed ban on large sugary sodas in New York helped give impetus to his legislation. He said Bloomberg’s rule – which was written to attack obesity - doesn’t make sense.
If customers “want to supersize, they're going to figure out how to do it, whether that means buying two or whatever," said Smith, whose restaurants only service sodas 20-ounces at a time, a serving size that Bloomberg‘s ban would outlaw.
Smith‘s bill - which says nutritional requirements should only be decided at the state level - sailed through the Mississippi legislature with broad bipartisan support, overwhelming the arguments of a small group of opponents who said that local governments should be allowed to make their own rules.
Sen. Tony Smith, R-Picayune, checks his ribs and chicken barbecuing on the grill during the North vs. South Cookout held Monday, April 23, 2012 on the grounds of the Old Capitol in Jackson, Miss. Sens. Smith and Willie Simmons, D-Cleveland, showcased their cooking talents to raise funds for the Mississippi Military Family Relief Fund.