Battling Big Sugar in West Virginia

The sugar industry spent years denying the harm it does to the nation’s health, according to investigative reports.  

This week on the Front Porch, Laurie and Rick speak with Mandy Curry, co-founder of Healthy Kids, Inc.

They discuss the sugar industry’s attempt to downplay health risks associated with sugar consumption, and the effects this has had on the sugar content of the food we all eat.

Mandy also describes programs designed to better inform West Virginia students on health and nutrition using the 2014 documentary “Fed Up,” and what can be done to help encourage healthier habits.

Healthy Kids, Inc.’s website is located at https://www.healthykidsinc.com/

Rick Wilson has recently written an op-ed on this subject for the Charleston Gazette-Mail, located at http://www.wvgazettemail.com/gazette-op-ed-commentaries/20161005/rick-wilson-sugar-is-the-new-tobacco-lets-tax-it-gazette

The Front Porch” is a place where we tackle the tough issues facing West Virginia and Appalachia with some of the region’s most interesting thinkers.

WVPB Executive Director Scott Finn serves as host and provocateur, joined by Laurie Lin, a conservative lawyer and columnist, and Rick Wilson, a liberal columnist and avid goat herder who works for the American Friends Service Committee .

Subscribe to “The Front Porch” podcast on iTunes or however you listen to podcasts.

An edited version of “The Front Porch” airs Fridays at 4:50 p.m. on West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s radio network, and the full version is available above.

Share your opinions with us about these issues, and let us know what you’d like us to discuss in the future. Send a tweet to @radiofinn or @wvpublicnews, or e-mail Scott at sfinn @ wvpublic.org

The Front Porch is underwritten by The Charleston Gazette Mail, providing both sides of the story on its two editorial pages. Check it out: http://www.wvgazettemail.com/