The state of Mississippi is known for many things, many of them not positive. It is the home of the dirtiest river in the US, The last state to abolish slavery (in 1995!) and now the most obese state in the entire country. True, we all like southern cooking, but new laws jokingly called “Anti Bloomberg Laws” are taking southern hospitality way too far. Welcome to the fat capital of America, the state of Mississippi.

In the State of New York mayor Michael Bloomberg has attempted to create legislation to prevent NYC restaurants and vendors from selling drinks over 16 fl oz. The US in general has been passing regulations that make it so that restaurants have to publish statistics such as calorie counts within their menus. This is to make the average consumer more intelligent about what they eat. In Mississippi, the laws are going in the exact opposite direction. Just this week, the Governor of Mississippi, Phil Bryant, signed a law which bans local communities from requiring restaurants to post calorie counts on menus or limit portion sizes. The law also banned toys from being removed from children’s meals opening up Mississippi to become even more obese than it already is.

According to an article on the Daily News, 35% of adults in Mississippi are obese (this is just obese, not overweight). This is the largest percent in the U.S. The next closest obesity rate is the next door neighbor of Mississippi, the stereotypically fat state of Alabama. So what effect will these laws have on these obese states? For most constituents, the outlook is not good. Mississippi already has the shortest life expectancy in the U.S. of seventy five years. It would appear as if this trend will continue downward as Mississippians have no regulation involving food or drinks. There is definitely going to be an increase in heart disease, diabetes and other weight related diseases.

Mississippi however sees no problems with these laws. They claim that there should be no regulation on what people eat, that it is a personal choice. Many of these states refer to states with such regulations as “nanny states” where the government is constantly looking out for them. Unfortunately many experts are against Mississippi. Michael Jacobson, executive director of Center for Science in the Public Interest, said he believed the Mississippi law and others like it are counterproductive and harmful. Within an article he makes a vivid statement: "If I were a member of the Mississippi legislature, I would be much more concerned with the money the state shells out to treat obesity, diabetes and other soda-related diseases. And I'd save the insults for the playground, not legislation."

For now, Mississippi will remain the largest state in the Union. Due to their lack of regulation they face many health issues that will likely drop the life expectancy and cause weight related diseases. This will leave many people wondering why the state passed such a devastating bill that has the potential to hurt many of its constituents.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/mississippi-anti-bloomberg-bill-signed-law-article-1.1294848
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/diet-fitness/photos/top-10-fat-states-where-obesity-rates-are-highest
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/mississippi-governor-signs-anti-bloomberg-bill/story?id=18731896