The food fascists have struck again!

According to Metro News New York, 55% of soup kitchens were not able to meet the demand of the homeless and hungry in New York City. However, despite that basic fact, these same soup kitchens have been turning away perfectly good food simply because it has trans fat in it. That is right, New York City’s trans fat ban has meant that at least 5% of the donated food has to be thrown away.

When a small church comes to the Bowery Mission bearing fried chicken with trans fat, unwittingly breaking the law, they’re told “thank you.” Then workers quietly chuck the food, mission director Tom Bastile said.

“It’s always hard for us to do,” Basile said. “We know we have to do it.”

Astonishing! Ideology trumps feeding the hungry! When I saw this story, I was amazed at the inhumanity of those who claim to believe in a nanny state and progressivism. It reminded me of other stories, such as the fact that organic farming actually has been killing more rain forests (source, source), and the inhumane ban on pesticides in developing countries that actually could use the help in agriculture. Organic farming has a lower yield, and thus many argue it cannot feed the world. (source)

It really does not matter if progressives want to eat organic food and ban trans fat for themselves. But when they mandate that others follow their dietary regime (including banning genetically modified food), they are thus causing people to go hungry (see Exhibit A: Zambia). Yet this is all done in the name of “humanity.”

We can all do our part to make the world a better planet, including looking for realistically sustainable living. But banning trans fat from soup kitchens, and requiring that third world countries suffering from famines cannot allow in genetically modified food means that humanity suffers in order for progressives to get some hollow ideological victory.

And so the homeless go hungry in order for progressives to make their point.

I hope they are happy, because humanity surely is not.