Food libel laws

Food libel laws, informally known as veggie libel laws, are laws passed in 13 U.S. states that make it easier for food companies to stifle criticism of their production habits. The states are Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Texas.

In 1996, Oprah Winfrey stated that mad cow disease would want to make her stop from eating another burger. She got sued but eventually won.

So I guess you can use free speech to redraw a picture of the President of the United States to make him look like Hitler and claim he's instituting "death panels," but you can't use that same free speech to bring up a legitimate issue regarding the practices of agribusiness.

This is an interview with Robert Kenner, director of the movie Food, Inc. Skip to 18:10.