Fewdiez

In response to the article, In Defense of Food.

1) There could any number of reasons as to why people choose products which are unhealthy to them. Some of the simplests reasons are ones like that is food they have become accustomed to, or just something they prefer to other possible alternatives. Other reasons could include being simply uneducated about the product they're buying. They may not even be entirely aware that what they're buying is artificial or otherwise unhealthy for them. It could also just be that no other forms of more healthy food is available to them, due to cost, transportation, or general availability within their area of convenience.

2) As far as the government goes, they should to a certain extent, have a hand in educating the general populace about food products. Consider the health reforms to the food industry due to squalid working conditions and standards held in meat processing plants back in the 30's and 40's. The government radically forced change in that system.
And while change may not be as 'important' to this system now, simply because the food does not pose an immediate, inevitable threat to our health, it certainly can affect our health. And if nothing else, the government should at the least be a little bit concerned with that.
That's not to say the government should be burdened with overseeing all the food, procesess and procedures of the industries. However, perhaps through programs or new policies, it should somehow have a hand in regulating new labels to give more information to the buyer in some manner. Anything to help a consumer be just a little more informed about their choices.