Don’t panic when you see big numbers….these are calories not prices!
Calories on Menus? Yes its true… all restaurants including Diners, Fast Food chains and other Family Restaurants may soon be required to put calories next to all menu items. Since late last year, the state of New York passed a law that requires all Restaurants with 15 or more chains to put the amount of calories next to each menu item. Bravo New York! What an excellent way to pave the path. Other states such as Massachusetts, Oregon, Pennsylvania and California have already followed suit and talks of making it a Federal Law are in progress.
Bravo to this ad by New York! Bravo!
Last week , the National Restaurant Association said that they would support a Federal law requiring all restaurants to place this information on menus. This includes restaurants such as Outback Steak House, Olive Garden, and more. Pretty soon people…you could see calorie counts not only on menus but also on drive through windows, menu boards, yellow pages and whoa even on vending machines!!!
This is what you could see at Drive Through Windows…
Interestingly some investors and some restaurant chains are not too pleased about this proposal. In fact, last week shares of restaurants such as Burger King and Olive Garden dropped after the possibility of this legislation was announced. These investors should realize that, this legislation will not only help to improve eating habits but could possibly decrease the prevalence of obesity which is directly linked to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other diseases and medical conditions. Bravo to chains like Subway, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut for not waiting for legislation and have already started putting calories on menus!
← This just so Baracktastic!!!
On the other hand…M&Ms have nutritional information printed on the packet , but has that stopped people from eating them? Will this work or is this just a waste of time? What do you think? Do you think this law will help to improve your eating habits? Or are you just going to eat that 1590 calorie Double Whopper Cheeseburger meal anyway?
Woah Haku Jay!!! You are amazing! You have helped me eat better!
I feel like it’s something that in the short term might not see much return, but think about the cigarette. It’s not that long ago that people scoffed at the idea of warnings on cigarette packs or special smoking sections in restaurants, but look at today: I walk into a restaurant and onto a plan and even now into a bar, and I don’t expect to see cigarettes being smoked. I don’t think twice about it. But ten years ago, I’d have not thought twice about seeing someone smoking in a restaurant.
So I think it’s one of those things that percolates through society with each little step. It might not seem like much, but it will make an impact when combined with other measures.