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Miss. bill would make it illegal to feed the obese

JACKSON Miss. The Obesity Action Coalition on Friday decried a bill being considered in Mississippi that would make it illegal for restaurants to serve food to anyone who is considered obese.

Earlier this week, three Mississippi House members — Republicans W.T. Mayhall Jr. and John Read and Democrat Bobby Shows — proposed H.B. 282, which would allow health inspectors to pull permits from any restaurant that “repeatedly” feeds extremely overweight patrons. The definition of obesity would be determined by the state’s health department.

The Tampa, Fla.-based OAC pressed the Mississippi House to withdraw the bill, calling it "outright discrimination."

“This bill completely perpetuates the negative stigma often associated with obesity," said Joseph Nadglowski Jr., president and chief executive of the OAC. "The thought of food establishments holding the power to, first, determine the health status of a patron and, second, having the ability to refuse service based on the determination of whether or not the patron is 'obese,' is completely outrageous.”

Mississippi has the highest rate of adult obesity in the nation, according to a study conducted last year by the Trust for America's Health. The study also found that the state has the highest rate of inactivity, with 31.6 percent of adults reporting that they do not engage in any physical activity.

About two-thirds of Mississippi residents are considered overweight or obese, according to federal health data.

The bill was referred to the House Judiciary and Public Health committees, though many Mississippi legislative observers gave the bill little chance of getting out of committee.

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