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Two federal lawmakers have introduced legislation to require fast-food and other chain restaurants to post calories on menu boards and food display tags. The chains also would have to put information about calories, fats, carbohydrates and salt on printed menus.
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) on Thursday introduced the Menu Education and Labeling Act, called the MEAL Act for short. They said it would help consumers make more informed choices about the nutritional content of the food they are ordering.
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Health advocates believe that when people see the amount of calories, fat and salt in meals before they order them, they will gravitate to more healthful selections.“Consumers play an impossible guessing game trying to make healthier choices in restaurants,” said Margo Wootan, nutrition policy director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest. “Who would guess that a large chocolate shake at McDonald’s has more calories than two Big Macs or that a multigrain bagel at Dunkin’ Donuts has 140 more calories than a jelly doughnut?”
The restaurant industry is pushing a competing bill. The Labeling Education and Nutrition Act, nicknamed the LEAN Act, would require chains with more than 20 units to post calorie counts. It also would nullify state and local measures now in effect and preempt future regional measures.
One of the great ironies of restaurant eating is that you can only find calorie counts at the healthy restaurants, and the fast food joints (if you ask.) I suspect that most of the really bad stuff is at greasy spoon joints, that nauseating picture included.
I think it would not.
People who would even consider looking at a food label have already changed their habit. The rest will use the info to justify eating more!
Nothing wrong with that. It won’t change the way the South eats anyways.
Why just the chains? Shouldn’t they make all restaurants post this info? I guess the law makers don’t really want to know how healthy that 5000 calorie steak and lobster dinner is.
#1-nauseating picture?? that thing looks deeeeeeeelicious!!!
#1, I believe that’s an In-N-Out burger, but I could be mistaken.
I’d wager a guess that if you put that much information on a menu, that people are NOT going to eat HEALTHY, the’re going to eat EASY… meaning, they’re going to order whatever is prominently displayed and easy to read, REGARDLESS of nutrition content.
I’ll further wager that fast-food joints will take this opportunity to prominently display their highest-profit-margin foods, regardless of their nutrition content.
I’ve never had ANY problem with finding the nutrition content of the food I’m eating at fast-food joints, either on the company’s web page or a nutrition brochure at the facility.
How about we (gasp!) allow people to fend for themselves?
No In-N-Out Burger would make a sandwich that looks that bad.
Wouldn’t change how I eat. I eat at one restaurant steak places. The bill requires you to have twenty of the same restaurant to have to change your menu.
Unless this is the Forever War. How many calories does it cost to buy this food item?
Maybe. I think it would have more impact on the chains themselves. There are only a limited number of people that demand the most calorie, LD cholesterol, trans-fat laden, fiber free food around.
Most one off restaurants won’t be effected.
I’m all for it regulating everything including carbon and H2O. Wait, we are 70% water, and I forgot how much carbon, they could regulate every cell in my body!
Thats a burger? I thought it was the shock absorber on my 94 pick’em up truck.
Yes. Information always changes a few minds.
I recall watching a news show which talked about calories in restaurant meals and found that many of the “average” meals you find at “family-style” restaurants (i.e. Applebee’s) have more calories and fat than a McDonald’s value meal.
It would be funny to see that this act would possibly help the restaurants it’s probably actually trying to target.
Yes, that is from In-N-Out.
Just a thought. Why do some people on food stamps get fat? I mean, after all, you can only use them at supermarkets where the food is labeled with lots of nutritional information already.
I thought that picture was an old vagina at first.
# 13 Uncle Dave said, “Yes, that is from In-N-Out.” Jeez. Never eaten at an In-N-Out. Next time I’m in the States and feeling suicidal, maybe I’ll give that sandwich a try!
Personally, I think by the time someone gets inside a fast food place, they aren’t going to read Fun Food Facts. I think labels on the front door would serve the purpose just as well: WARNING – The Dietitian General has determined eating fast food will give you colon cancer!
Harkin is an idiot. He should try passing the: Mandatory congressional Founding documents education training act…
#16: that ain’t nothin’. You can order any size you want, even a 100×100.
As a person who has been on a diet for a couple of year. I’ve become pretty good at figuring out the calorie cound of food on sight. Fine dining places are just as bad if not worse the many fast food joints.
Here are some tasty goodies that go abit to far:
http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/
Rereading my post, all I can say is….
me type no good…
“Here are some tasty goodies that go abit to far:”
Those donut fries look amazing though…
just one of those patties is ok as a meal once and a while… of course, if you have a death wish… knock yourself out.
Portion control. Eat less, lose weight. Eat more, gain weight. Simple.
Calories aren’t what’s bad for you unless you continually eat too many of them, or don’t get them from a variety sources.
Poisons in food are:
Saturated animal fat
Hydrogenated oils
Chemicals
I would like to have all food made by someone else identified in detail before I eat it.
Thank God the Nanny State is always thinking up new ways to protect people from themselves at small business’ expense.
can anyone say..
“TRUTH IN ADVERTISING”?
and enforcement of SAME..
JimR has a bit simplistic view of poisons in food. There are many. Nightshades such as potato, peppers, and tomato contain neurotoxins. Small amounts when prepared properly, but poisons none the less.
Many plants have developed poisons to help them cope with being eaten by animals… and some we eat anyway.
Baked grains generate acrylamides… which may or may not be bad for you.
Some bad for us stuff hides in media supported “good for you” stuff… like plant oils.
Polyunsaturated plant oils (the politically correct ones) oxidize quickly, and oxidized oil with the reactive oxygen species it generates in the body, is one of the more potent carcinogens and cardiovascular damaging poisons out there.
Think about that next time the organic peanut butter tastes a little rancid when you spread it on your fresh baked organic whole grain bread.
Why do people want cheese and bacon on their burgers? They do or such items would no be for sale even though everybody knows what it will do to them.
In defense of In-N-Out Burger, that pictured example looks to be more than “animal style”.
Billy Bob said:
“Thank God the Nanny State is always thinking up new ways to protect people from themselves at small business’ expense.”
Nothing like warping the FACTS to further your agenda. Since when are national corporate CHAINS ‘small businesses’??? Re-read #8’s comment until it finally sinks in.
I gotta say having this kind of law here in NYC has been a real blessing. Eating healthy while away from home is a real challenge. The NY version of this law has certainly help me lose weight.