Obama Shouldn't Eat Hot Dogs in Public

WASHINGTONPresident Barack Obama needs to watch what he eats. Photos showing the commander in chief eating hot dogs, cheeseburgers and other all-American favorites sends the wrong message about health and nutrition to the public, according to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM). The group filed a  Petition for Executive Action asking the White House to issue an executive order banning staged photo opportunities that show the president, the first family, the vice president, and members of the presidents cabinet eating such foods.

The White House would never set up a photo op showing the president buying cigarettes, so why is it okay to show him eating a hot dog?" says PCRM nutrition education director Susan Levin, M.S., R.D. Processed meats like hot dogs kill more Americans each year than tobacco does, and they cost taxpayers billions of dollars in healthcare. As role model to millions of Americans the president has a responsibility to watch what he eats in public."

The petition also contends that these photo ops, often held at restaurants, are akin to free product placement by the public officials.

According to PCRM, consuming processed meats increases the risk of colorectal cancer. The group cites research backing up the claim, including a recent study from the Harvard School of Public Health saying that a daily serving of processed meats, like hot dogs, sausages, and bacon, increases the risk of premature death by 20 percent.