It seems new rules are underway for restaurants. Some are required to give calorie counts for their main menu items (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129420833&sc=fb&cc=fp). While helpful in a way, I don't think this will solve anything. People know this stuff is bad for them, but they eat it anyway (as do I on occasion).
What's more, these calorie counts don't highlight just how much garbage is in these foods. The animal byproducts, the excess corn, the chemicals, etc. Though, frankly, I'm pretty sure people know vaguely about that as well, and they still eat the stuff (as do I on occasion).
One step forward does not lead to solving the real problem, but whatever. I guess it's something.
I like the new regulations. For someone like you and I, we can then make better educated decisions if we're in a restaurant and stumped as to what to order.
ReplyDeleteI try to review nutrition stats on the website of a company before I go out to eat, but sometimes you don't always have that luxury.
I agree, people know stuff is bad and they don't care. But for some of us, we do care.
That's true, but at the same time, I feel like I have a pretty good sense of what to order most of the time. Stay away from breaded and fried. Avoid the cheese. Etc.
ReplyDeleteBut, you're right that anything that gives more power to people to make good decisions is a good thing in the end.
Power to the people!
ReplyDeleteI noticed this starting to be implemented in Philly over the summer. I love it. It might not have huge sweeping effects. But even over the course of a holiday weekend, it certainly influenced my choices. It probably won't make a lick of difference for the people that go to McDonald's 3 times a day (I worked there in high school and can attest that these people exist), but I think it will make a lot of people more conscious of their dietary choices - not just those of us that are already on the lookout.
ReplyDeleteClearly I need to have a little more faith in people. I hope you both are right that it matters to enough people for this to be more than a meaningless gesture on the FDA's part. One of the things for me, though, is that they do this but they don't ask the restaurants or farming in general to make changes to their food products that would reduce the damages (e.g., rampant chemicals, tons of salt and preservatives, etc.). The bigger, more effective changes would come at a profit loss for the companies, so the gov't. slap a nutrition label up and call it progress. In reality, the companies don't have to change and the gov't. gets to appear as though it gives a crap about its constituents.
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