NYC Mayor Tells U.N.: Healthy Foods Are Government's 'Highest Duty

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is world-renowned for such public health decisions as banning trans fat in food and proposing a special soda tax, but last week at the United Nations General Assembly, Bloomberg kicked it up a notch.

The chief of the Big Apple told the assembled governments at the U.N. that they are responsible for making sure everyone gets enough fruits and vegetables. In fact, he called it "government's highest duty."

Mayor Bloomberg shared his general views on the role of government in food choice, according to CNS News, including that “governments at all levels must make healthy solutions the default social option."

In his speech, the Mayor also spoke about previously passed New York City regulations on the use of trans fat oils in city eateries, and lauded the licensing of street carts that sell fruits and vegetables in the five boroughs.

Going far beyond New York City, Bloomberg laid out his vision for the role of governments across the globe in the food decisions of their citizens, and shared this piece of his overall culinary philosophy:

“There are powers only governments can exercise, policies only governments can mandate and enforce and results only governments can achieve. To halt the worldwide epidemic of non-communicable diseases, governments at all levels must make healthy solutions the default social option. That is ultimately government’s highest duty.”

You can watch a video of the Mayor in front of the U.N. here, courtesy of CNS News:

A proposal backed by the Mayor last year to effectively ban additive salt in food was not passed, as Bloomberg ultimately favored a "voluntary" salt reduction approach. The mayor of America's biggest metropolis has already outlawed smoking in almost all public areas and ordered food calorie lists to be posted in restaurants.

(h/t cns news)