-->Food Labeling Comes to Restaurants
Inside the health care reform bill was a nice little section that requires restaurants of 20 or more outlets to submit to calorie labeling on menus, menu boards and drive-through displays as well as vending machines. Additional information will be available by request to consumers.
The bill exempts small businesses and doesn’t apply to “daily specials.” The FDA has a year to propose specific regulations and then there will probably be some wrangling from there before they are finally implemented.
Calorie counts vary widely, “Coffee drinks can vary from 80 calories to 800 calories and burgers can range from 250 calories to well over 1,000 calories,” says CSPI nutrition policy director Margo G. Wootan.
This bill will give us some information to choose more wisely. Calories are just the first step, saturated fats, trans fats and sodium are not listed on menus but you’ll be able to ask your server for this information.
I honestly don’t know what all the hub-bub is about. We’ve been reading labels in grocery stores for years. This is just trying to do the same thing in restaurants.
Do you think this is a good idea? Will you choose differently if you know what the calories counts are? Do you think all restaurants should do it? (There is simple software available these days to figure out calories per serving from recipes, it’s really no big deal.)
Let me know your thoughts,
L–
Popularity: 1% [?]
Fine by me if the FDA is paying for all the research to determine these things, if it comes out of the businesses’ pocket I’m against it because I feel it a bit supurfulus. Only because the expense will be passed to the consumer, or ripped from the worker.
I think this is great!
Most restaurant chains already know the calorie counts for their foods – I’ve looked up calories for many of the restaurants I frequent and have always been able to find it online (usually through their website).
It will be nice to have the information in the restaurants themselves. I think it would definitely effect my decision on what to order. Whether or not I purchase the lowest calorie item, I’m definitely not going to purchase an item that has an absurd amount in comparison to the rest.
Thanks so much for your comments Sarah, I know it will effect my ordering as well. L–
I know this upsets my conservative friends, and I completely understand why (“Gov’t, get out of my Business!”), but as a consumer who eats out often, I’d be thrilled to have calorie counts and be more informed about my options. Honestly, I’d probably eat out more often than I already do if restaurants made it easier for me to make healthier choices!
If I owned a restaurant, I’d hate it. But I’d find a way to turn a profit with the new information and make it work for me as well as the consumer.
Michelle Quillin for New England Multimedia & Q Web Consulting
http://twitter.com/NEMultimedia
this will definitely affect what I order but this is awesome.
I’m really glad that small businesses will be exempt from this – I think it would be crippling for them. But large chains which all serve a set menu that rarely changes is a different story, and as Sarah mentioned above, they mostly know their calorie counts anyway.
We were really surprised to see calorie counts on some menus when we came to the States last year, and it definitely had an impact on what we chose to order.
I think it’s a good thing to get people more aware of what they eat. However, I’m not sure it will have a significative impact on people’s diet in general. At the best, it might help restaurant chains to put more low-calories options on their menu. Let,s just hope that the nutritional information posted will be accurate!