Mar 13 2009

A federal calorie labeling law? Uh oh.

Why do I get suspicious when I hear that the National Restaurant Association (NRA) and coalitions of its supporters are in favor of proposed legislation to require calorie labeling in fast food restaurants?  Jim Matheson (Dem-Utah) has just introduced a bill that the NRA and its supporters think is just fine.  Why?  It requires calorie information on menu boards or some other place in the store (hidden under the counter, perhaps?).  The New York City initiative puts the information on menu boards in the same size type as the price.

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Well, they are hardly a disinterested party, now, are they.

Still, good can shine through. Can’t it?

Cheers.

  • Jon
  • March 14, 2009
  • 6:45 pm

Well, that’s what McDonald’s does with their nutrition facts. Sometimes, it’s in the basement.

As a health-conscious person, I welcome the provision of detailed nutrition information. Calories on their own are useless to me, I also want to know saturated fat, as a minimum, and I like to know all sorts of other things as well.

However, I don’t want this information on the menu! I want it to be available – as a brochure in the store/restaurant, on the company website, and on the packaging of pre-packaged food.

Having it on the menu is too in-your-face and would destroy the experience of going out to eat. The information should be available if we seek it out, not rammed down our throats.

Why not make an official location for nutritional information part of the requirement? Every restaurant has a door/doorway in which they could place pamphlets or poster. Plenty of Burger Kings and Taco Bells have their information there already.

And, since we are talking about fast food chains, we don’t have to worry about upscale restaurants putting up a stink about posters ruining the decor.

This also solves Caitlin’s problem. Since you don’t have to stare at it while you order, you can take note of the information at your leisure.

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