Jonathan Neman called for certain foods to be taxed as a way to fight the virus.
The CEO of salad chain Sweetgreen is being dragged for saying the root of coronavirus’ impact is unhealthy food and is being called “Fat-Phobic,” following a post he made on LinkedIn, People reported.
Jonathan Neman wrote in a LinkedIn post Tuesday that "no vaccine nor mask will save us" from the virus and that the "ROOT CAUSE" is processed foods that are "making us sick," adding that it is unhealthy eating that leads to "obese and overweight people."
Newman wrote that “78% of hospitalizations due to COVID are Obese and Overweight people.”
“Is there an underlying problem that perhaps we have not given enough attention to? Is there another way to think about how we tackle 'healthcare' by addressing the root cause?” he added.
The LinkedIn post has now been deleted, according to the New York Post, but following its publication, Newman was swiftly blasted by others on social media and was called “fat-phobic.’
Inside Edition Digital has reached out to Sweetgreen for comment about this story but has not heard back.
Sweetgreen is known for their expensive salads that range from $10 to $15. Newman suggested that companies who make processed foods should be taxed more.
“What if we made the food that is making us sick illegal? What if we taxed processed food and refined sugar to pay for the impact of the pandemic? What if we incentivized health?” he wrote. “Repairing our food system could save us $2 Trillion a year in direct costs ($1T in Healthcare, $1T in Environmental Impact). OUR TIME IS NOW.”
Doctors have said that obese people are twice as liklely to have major complications from coronavirus and are highly vulnerable to the illness.
Newman is not the first high profile person to suggest obesity is an issue in tackling the novel coronavirus.
Comedian Bill Maher has used his HBO show “Real Time” as a platform to suggest that obesity needs to be addressed and is a factor in fighting the virus.
“I don’t think it is a coincidence that the countries with the lowest rate of obesity had the fewest COVID deaths,” he said on his show in July 2020.
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