FDA to require restaurants to show calories

Posts: 739

Restaurant chains, vending machines will have to post calories

Quote:

In an effort to tackle national obesity, the FDA's draft guidelines require any businesses with more than 20 locations to post the calorie information in the same size type as the menu item or price.

Many chain restaurants and vending machines would have to display the number of calories in their food for consumers under draft guidelines released Tuesday by the Food and Drug Administration.

The guidelines require that calorie information be posted in the same size type as the menu item or price, whichever is larger. Vending machines would have to display the information in a "clear and conspicuous" manner so consumers could review it before making a purchase, according to the guidelines, which were authorized by the healthcare legislation passed this year.

Michael Hanlon, senior scientist for Consumers Union, praised the labeling requirement as a useful tool in guiding food choices but warned that it would not be a magic bullet in curbing the nation's appetite. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese.

Americans consume about a third of their calories from food prepared outside the home and tend to guess wrong about the number of calories in such foods.

The calorie disclosure requirement applies only to restaurants and other food chains with 20 or more locations and vending machine operators with 20 or more machines.

Menus must include the statement that "Additional nutrition information is available on request" and restaurants must make available more detailed data about the source of calories, calories from fat and the amount of saturated fat, sodium, sugars and other key food components in each menu item.

Daily specials, custom orders and items appearing on a menu for less than 60 days would be exempt from calorie disclosure.

New York City already requires similar calorie information on menus.

The proposed guidelines are preliminary and could change as a result of information received during a 45-day public comment period. The FDA won't begin enforcing the labeling requirement until the rules are completed some time after the comment period.

It would have been nice if they had done this without being forced. That doesn't exactly earn our trust.

Additionally, it would be nice if they would disclose whether a menu item has any MSG or other food additives in them. Unfortunately, we can't get them to tell us if the menu items have any genetically modified components because the food sources themselves don't tell anyone, and aren't required to.

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I think forcing them is stupid, its not like you HAVE to eat their food...

If they don't want to show it that's just more reason for you to eat some where else...

Posts: 529

But you do HAVE to eat food, so anyone selling food should be required to disclose what's in it.

Posts: 739

	alexclaton wrote:
	I think forcing them is stupid, its not like you HAVE to eat their food...

I get stuck having to eat at restaurants when I fly somewhere for business. Other than that, it's nice to take your friend/lover/spouse to one every now and then. I'd just like to be able to avoid the plates that feed 3 people.

	alexclaton wrote:
	If they don't want to show it that's just more reason for you to eat some where else...

I assume that you mean to go to another place that has their calorie information printed in the menu? The only place I know of that does that is Abblebee's. I think.

Posts: 817

	Quote:
	But you do HAVE to eat food, so anyone selling food should be required to disclose what's in it.

Who's forcing you to buy from them?

	Quote:
	I get stuck having to eat at restaurants when I fly somewhere for business. Other than that, it's nice to take your friend/lover/spouse to one every now and then. I'd just like to be able to avoid the plates that feed 3 people.

you can always take what you don't finish home...

	Quote:
	I assume that you mean to go to another place that has their calorie information printed in the menu? The only place I know of that does that is Abblebee's. I think.

Then only eat there... if its important to everyone people would boycott places that do not disclose said info until they do...

Fact is most people don't care whats in their food, they only care that it tastes good...

I don't support the idea of using government violence to force people/companies to be a certain way...

Posts: 529

alexclaton wrote:

	Quote:
	But you do HAVE to eat food, so anyone selling food should be required to disclose what's in it.

Who's forcing you to buy from them?

Ideally you wouldn't have to buy food from anyone. But, we don't live in an ideal world. Realistically most people cannot grow their own food due to lack of time/money/knowledge/space. So, in the real world most people HAVE to buy food from someone, it is important to verify that the food is safe and for the few who do wish to know, to be able to see what the caloric value is. It doesn't hurt business, and until we can get out of this type of system it's the reasonable thing to do.

Posts: 817

Quote:

Ideally you wouldn't have to buy food from anyone. But, we don't live in an ideal world. Realistically most people cannot grow their own food due to lack of time/money/knowledge/space. So, in the real world most people HAVE to buy food from someone, it is important to verify that the food is safe and for the few who do wish to know, to be able to see what the caloric value is. It doesn't hurt business, and until we can get out of this type of system it's the reasonable thing to do.

I fail to see whats stopping them from learning if its that big a deal for them...

ummm I thought we are trying to get away from the "they aren't doing what I want, lets FORCE them!" mentality...

Posts: 739

alexclaton wrote:

	TS wrote:
	I get stuck having to eat at restaurants when I fly somewhere for business. Other than that, it's nice to take your friend/lover/spouse to one every now and then. I'd just like to be able to avoid the plates that feed 3 people.

you can always take what you don't finish home...

Yes, that would work when going out to a restaurant near home. Unfortunately, this doesn't work very well when traveling.

alexclaton wrote:

	TS wrote:
	I assume that you mean to go to another place that has their calorie information printed in the menu? The only place I know of that does that is Abblebee's. I think.

Then only eat there... if its important to everyone people would boycott places that do not disclose said info until they do...

That is an option, I agree. I just wish the nicer places I like to go to would follow their example.

	alexclaton wrote:
	Fact is most people don't care whats in their food, they only care that it tastes good...

Agreed. I used to be married to one.

	alexclaton wrote:
	I don't support the idea of using government violence to force people/companies to be a certain way...

In the case of a private business, I completely agree. If I was them, I would fight against being forced to do anything also. But what if most of these companies are actually corporations? In that case, they are subject to the government rules.

	alexclaton wrote:
	ummm I thought we are trying to get away from the "they aren't doing what I want, lets FORCE them!" mentality...

Good point. I just find this convenient, so I am a bit guilty of being pro-control on this one. Perhaps I should start a new topic about this.

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Funny thing is the FDA has lied about drugs and foods itself, a good example would be aspartame...

Not to mention the fact that the primary reason HFCS is used in so many things is because its a lot more expensive to use sugar, why is that? Because of government regulations...

If you really think the government is there to look after YOUR interests then perhaps the calorie content of food is the least of your worries...

Asking an oppressor to save you from oppression is rather ironic IMO.

Posts: 739

Here's a long-assed question for you. If you thought that a specific idea of a group or an individual was worth supporting, regardless of what their previous reputation was, would you support that idea if doing so didn't provide consent for their past, present, and future ideas or actions?

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Supporting in what way?

Posts: 739

Accepting it as valid. Allowing it to be enforced.

Posts: 817

be specific I don't really know what you're talkin about...

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FDA's new requirements will be for the customers benefit. But numbers are hard to understand sometimes, even if people can already read the number of calories they would get from eating certain foods, some would still ignore it. I hope they can come up with a more graphical warning.

Posts: 817

Bullshit once again proves my point entirely...

Its about freedom of choice and not having the government force behavioral changes...