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Monday, March 17, 2008
Should restaurants disclose calories on menus?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A couple of weeks ago, I picked up a breakfast menu at IHOP and looked at the section marked for special diets. Carb conscious, fewer fat grams and lower calorie choices were marked, which is more than I see on most restaurant menus.
But you couldn’t tell much about the food otherwise. The Big Breakfast Combo had less than 15 grams of carbs, but there was no information on calories or saturated fat (and with three strips of bacon, three sausage links, three ham slices and four eggs, you can bet there were plenty to be found).
The Garden Scramble had less than 600 calories in its omelet and two pancakes, but how much less? Was it 599 calories, or 210? And with just two breakfast items on the menu labeled as less than 600 calories, what kind of damage was I looking at from the dozens of other entrees?
If you were picking up those foods in a grocery store, you’d know, because of federal nutrition labeling requirements. In restaurants, you’re on your own.
Some cities and states have been considering menu labeling laws that would require nutrition disclosure. Last week, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, introduced a bill that would require restaurants with more than 20 locations anywhere in America to include calories, fat and sodium content on menus for standard items. They’d also have to post calories on menu boards. (Daily specials and temporary menu items are exempt.)
His argument: Americans eat so many meals away from home, that restaurants ought to provide the same information available in supermarkets, so consumers can make informed choices.
The restaurant industry in general has opposed menu labeling laws as burdensome and unworkable, although a number of fast-food restaurants do provide complete information, if you go online to look for it.
Should restaurants disclose calories in what they’re serving you? Would you look at the information? If so, would it affect what you order?
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