Mississippi enshrines right to eat 20 Big Macs in 'anti-Bloomberg' bill Those in favour of the bill say that it is a way to ensure that any future healthy eating laws are passed across the whole state and not just in individual towns and cities. They do not deny that they are also opposed to what they see as government involvement in personal choice. The Bill was introduced by Senator Tony Smith after he was approached by the Mississippi Hospitality and Restaurant Association. Mike Cashion, the association's director, told The Daily Telegraph: "What happened in New York City with Mayor Bloomberg is an example of what we are trying to avoid. Other ordinances such as fat bans or portion restrictions have been going on all over the country for some time and our position is that if there needs to be a food policy debate as it relates to public health then it needs to be done where it can be implemented across the state. Mr Smith, a Republican from the state capital Jackson, added: "If you have one city which implements one law and another which implements another and then another with different regulations then you will be left with a hotchpotch. This bill reserves the right to standardise the legislation across the state if we feel, for example, that it is right to ban 32 ounce soda drinks. But I hope we don't do that. I hope we let people make their own decisions. Previous attempts to curb obesity in Mississippi have been blocked by the government. In 2011, the then-governor Haley Barbour vetoed a bill which called for a strategic plan to combat obesity in Mississippi. He said the state was already doing enough. A letter signed by the American Heart Association, the Mississippi Municipal League, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and The Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi urged Gov Bryant to veto the bill. It read: "Passing pre-emptive legislation on menu labeling and promotion of healthy foods is a step in the wrong direction." Katherine Bryant, the government relations director for the Mississippi branch of the American Heart Association added: "Nothing should pre-empt local governments from making decisions that they think are best for their citizens. Considering the history we have of a lack of healthy people and the lack of attention to wellness, this bill is very surprising. Jim Marks, a senior vice president at the United States' largest health care philanthropy the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, also criticised the bill. He said: "Some of the best progresses made in trying to combat the obesity epidemic in Mississippi have been made by individual communities... In a state that has had such big problems and was starting to make progress... I would say it is disappointing.