Nutrition Taxes And Labeling

AP/C.Kaster

Should we tax that Snickers bar or can of Dr. Pepper?  Should restaurant menus have to give detailed nutritional counts?  And should all our sweet treats, salty snacks, and fatty food come with a warning label?  We talk with UVM nutrition professor Rachel Johnson about how our attitudes and understanding of nutrition are changing, and what incentives or penalties could help us make wiser decisions. 

In Vermont, the discussion is heating up.  The House is looking at a bill that would tax "non-nutritional" foods, and the Senate has taken up a bill that would require restaurants to publish nutritional information. Listen 

Also, is the H1N1 virus still a threat in our region?  Should you still get a vaccine?  We get an update on the virus from Vermont's Health Commissioner, Dr. Wendy Davis. Listen

And, VPR's Robert Resnik joins us to talk about the latest release from the librarians at the Fletcher Free Library in Burlington, where he works when he's not at the station.  They've raised about $25,000 for the library through three sing-along CDs and their fourth, called "Ooples and Banoonoos" comes out this weekend. Listen

Event information:

"Ooples and Banoonos" CD release concert: Saturday, Febraury 27 at 11am at the Fletcher Free Library in Burlington.  Free and open to the public.