You can buy old asbestos vinyl tile from a warehouse. You can buy lead paint from an industrial supply store. And you can buy cigarettes anywhere. But you can't buy foie gras in California or Chicago.

The food police are gathering in America. Unpasteurized French cheese cannot be imported. Sugary sodas are being banned in public schools. The Natural Resources Defense Council is suing McDonalds for using trans fats in French fries and chicken nuggets. And the FDA is requiring labeling on food to disclose the amount of trans fats in a single portion. Whither Oreos and fruit pies?

The contentiousness of food has reached epic proportions. The "heart healthy" movement traded fat for sugar and salt. Americans still got fatter. The New York City Department of Health banned low temperature "sous vide" cooking in public restaurants. In January, the Whole Foods Market, Inc. began selling only eggs and foods from hens not raised in cages. I suppose the ban on chickens in New York apartments may be repealed.

What's next? Veal is a target. Those poor baby calves are treated worse than those greedy ducks. Also, there is talk about requiring lobsters to be killed before boiling. What about oysters? The US FDA is considering banning processed fresh cut salads in plastic bags. And the EPA is studying ice cream and considering regulations on dioxins.

It's all about paternalism. Governmental oversight of people's lives and lifestyles is growing. It's about seat belts and cell phones as much as it is about French cheese and sous vide.