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Originally Posted by aceventura3
The best fries are cooked in lard. Healthy minded people should eat baked potatoes. Government need to stay out of the kitchen.
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This is a small example of where a free market kind of works, but kind of doesn't work.
Let's say a minority (20%) of buyers of fast food french fries would choose the healthy restaurant, if given the option. The big fast food companies don't want to change and buy a second machine to offer both varieties, because that takes up space and money. There is also the risk that people won't like the new style of fries (although they have implemented test stores and it has worked out). In a perfect market, a small company would start up and offer the healthy fries, but a fast food store won't get very far just selling fries.
The scientists and health industry comes in and says that 90% of people should be eating the healthy fries. It will reduce obesity, heart disease, and a bunch of other good things. The consumers want to pay 99 cents still, and might even not buy healthy fries at all. The businesses don't want to take the risk and like the stability and known profits of the current method.
I think that the government should protect the consumers and keep them safe from harm, when corporations don't want to change or allow greed to take over and not do what is in the best interest for society.