Vote in This Week's Poll: Should restaurants have to provide nutritional information on their menus?
Monday May 12, 2008
With obesity on the rise, it seems like having nutritional information provided on menus is a foregone conclusion. New York City is the latest to pass a statute requiring chain restaurants (like McDonald's, Chili's and Starbucks) to provide nutritional information to consumers and other major cities in the U.S. are sure to follow. This seems like a good idea when you consider the fact that the U.S. Department of Health recommends we eat about 2,000 calories a day to maintain weight and that you could easily consume that with just one or two items from some of these restaurants - Chili's notorious Awesome Blossom is a whopping 2,710 calories.
But, the restaurants aren't always crazy about this idea and some consumers aren't either. What do you think? Do you think restaurants should have to provide nutritional information on their menus? Vote in this week's poll and leave a comment telling us what you think.
Poll: Should restaurants have to provide nutritional information on their menus?
1. Yes - I might make different choices if I know how many calories I'm eating
2. Yes , but only if it's a chain or fast food restaurant
3. No - I don't really want to know what I'm eating
4. No - they should be able to provide it voluntarily
5. Other - please explain in comments
Comments
I beleive that they should have a seperate information sheet available for those that request it.
Oh good heavens! no wonder everyone has gotten so fat, nobody wants to take responsibility for ANYthing anymore! its absurd. you all know what is and is not fattening and if you dont then read a book! dont get the sauce on the fish, get your dressing on the side and skip the darn desserts. expect the resturants to babysit you and your food issues…you’ll pay for that too. get a grip,grow up, and just be sensible. im carrying around 25extra pounds and i sure know who’s fault it is…MINE and i know what to eat and not to eat to get rid of it….i just choose not to be very sensible right now. my choice, my responsibility…my freedom!
It is not necesssary to see the nutritional information to really judge a menu. If you order a burger and fries, you know what you’re getting. If you order pasta with a cream sauce, same thing. If you’re properly watching what you eat, what you’re really doing is educating yourself on food and food preparation. Once you have that, you can look at any menu and pick the right thing. And if you’re looking that closely at the menu, you already have educated yourself. People who truly NEED (not want) health information on a menu, probably aren’t too worried about it to begin with.
Also, I am a firm believer that a huge problem is not the food or the preparation, but the preservatives and junk in the food. If you go to a high end restaurant with all fresh, organic, or all natural food, great. If not, you really don’t know what you’re getting.
It does not hurt anyone nor cost anything to put the nutritional info on the labels/menus. The Restaurant Industry ought to be ashamed of themselves for not doing it voluntarily. (now, I do think exceptions might need to be made for mom/pop restauraunts). As for all the nay-sayers, it is in the restaurants best interest to not tell you what is in the food you are eating, not your best interest. So, don’t support the doo-doo they shovel at you and/or your kids. Happy Meals anyone?
Holy cow – so that McDs double quarter pounder with cheese, fries and a shake are not nutritionally beneficial! Why didn’t someone tell me! When will we stop blaming others for the problems with inflict on ourselves?
I think nutritional information should be posted on menus. Some people know what they are ordering with a pasta dish….but most DO NOT fully understand this concept. I believe it is only recently that nutrition has really taken the spotlight due to the rise in obesity. Only until researching on my own behalf did I really understand how many calories came with different sauces/foods/beverages. I think the average joe - who is often times the person suffering from a weight problem - may greatly benefit from this free, convenient information posted on menus. Restaurants MUST take part in the cure for obesity in this country. Thanks!
I think that even though it is our choice to eat things that are sometimes obviously fattening and damaging to our health, they should still have a nutrition facts sheet, but on a separate piece of paper, like Marta said above. I think that is the best way to deal with this situation. I do think though that if I was reading a nutrition facts sheet before I ordered at a resturaunt, I would change my order to something healthier. =)
i think it would be in the restaurants best interest to have their nutrition info available. i count calories so i like knowing what im putting in my mouth. i don’t go to restaurants that don’t offer nutrition info. for example, portillos. i love that restaurant but i have no idea on how healthy/unhealthy certain things are so i have to avoid it.
NO! Grow-up and take responsibility.
I believe that nutritional info should be available to customers. Whether it is listed on the menu or offered on a separate sheet, I don’t care. I would just like it to be available. Most people would be really surprised at how many calories or grams of fat, or whatever is in what they are eating. We may think that we are ordering something healthy such as a salad or whatever, but there are a lot more “hidden” calories and fat in those items than you think. Sometimes you can research this information on the Restaurants website, but not many people feel like taking the time to research what they are eating. Such as, did anyone know that TGI Fridays still uses trans fats in their foods? Probably not! I would like the nutritional information of restarants available to me if I decide to go there!
I have turned over the paper place mat on McDonalds trays and read the nutrition info. while eating my meal. Why can’t all resturants have a paper place mat with this info on it? This would solve the problem. People that don’t want to know don’t have to read it. Even high priced resturants could have a paper mat under their silver wear or under the plates.
I am counting calories, to try to lose weight. So I keep a log of all the calories I eat each meal.
Thanks
Why is it we want the government to regulate everything?? Fast foods restaurants have been posting this nutritional info for some time and it doesn’t seem to do any good. If you have the will power and the desire to be healthy and lose weight, then you will learn what to eat and what not to. Don’t rely on Uncle Sam and the nannny state…take responsibility for yourself!!!
I would like to see calorie information at restaurants. Why? I’m counting calories using a software program. If I have no clue as to the number of calories in a meal, I can’t adjust my intake in other meals to take that meal into account.
Another thought - American restaurants serve ridiculously huge portions. Because I am allergic to onions, I recently found myself with a very limited selection at a restaurant and wound up choosing chicken and pasta with alfredo sauce (whoaaaaa!). I ate some and took the rest home. I wound up getting four and a half comfortable meals out of ONE dish!
I feel that a restaurant should provide information insofar as whether something is vegetarian/vegan, or contains lactose/gluten, the latter in dishes where those ingredients would not be readily apparent. Otherwise, I feel that the restaurant has no responsibility. That is up to the individual customer. So many people want to blame everyone but themselves for their obesity, as if knowing the calorie content of that Whopper is going to make a difference to the person. It’s fattening. DUH.
Unfortunately, people think the information for the nutrition would be free. I’m here to tell you, it costs a pretty penny to provide that information. I do it for $40/menu item. If they send it to a lab for analysis, it can cost upward of $900/menu item. Now where are they going to get the money to provide that “free” information?
This is just another way of being controlled. There are so many laws now, we are becoming more like Big Brother in 1984 every day. It might be nice if they provided nutrition facts if someone asks, but don’t make it a law. Knowing the nutrition content of KFC or Starbucks doesn’t stop me from splurging there once in a while.
No! People know that what they’re eating is fattening and if they still eat it, it’s their choice. When I go out to eat I know that if I’m going to order dessert at the end of my meal, I’m probably adding on like 1000 calories or so. Why can’t people take responsibility for their own eating habbits? You can eat out, just stop when you’re full and you won’t have a problem.
As a person who has some severe alergies, I would be much more comfortable eating in restaraunts if printed nutritional info was provided, rather than relying on the waiter’s knowledge and conscientiousness.
One more mandatory requirement the government will impose on the public because we can’t act responsibly. Which probably means another government agency to provide oversight – more government bureaucracy and guess what – increase in taxes? We want to be all grown up, but have the responsibility/accountability of our children (not a good example to be setting is it). Here’s a thought – if you’re “counting” calories instead of “watching” calories, you should not be eating out in the first place because you are already fat.
i agree with many here. we should be more aware of portion control. i know that burger i eat ate the local steakhouse is loaded down with fat and calories. i could opt to have it cut in half and leave the rest for later(or share with my daughter). its hard for small places that homemake everything to keep track. plus we just need to stop being such a fast food country. there are ppl starving in other parts of the world but many stuff their face without awareness and complain about weight gain and disease. measure,weigh, and be aware of what you put in your mouth.keep the processed(this include chain and fast food place)food out of your lifestyle and eat homemade healthy and fresh. more vitamins less junk that kills and easier to portion out.
I don’t get what the big deal is since most of the fast food chains and many other chains already have nutritional info on their websites. I personally find the nutritional information useful. Sure, you may know that fast food is fattening, but it’s not always easy to make the healthiest decisions when ordering. For example, did you know that the honey wheat roll at McDonalds (served with the grilled chicken sandwich) has more calories, sodium and carbs than the regular sesame seed bun? Having nutritional information actually helps people take responsibility for their food choices. What I’d rather see, though, is allergen info. I’ve got a son with food allergies, so I’m more concerned with nuts, eggs and soy than calories.
I for one am against the showing of how many calories are in the foods we eat at a restaurant…..We go out to eat to enjoy our meal, not to worry about how many calories there in the food, and foods would not taste as good as they do with all those low-cal ingredients…If we all looked the same, it sure would be a boring world to live in…..
Take your meal and stop eating EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS!!
Remove the cheese, dressing on the side…don’t eat the WHOLE thing..
Next: Get up!!! take a walk, move your legs, arms and feel better…
FOREVER…and you will enjoy life more
First and foremost, NO!!! Restaurants shouldn’t have to…if you are seriously worried and concerned about your weight you will not be eating foods that would be unhealthy and you would have an idea approximaltely how many calories would be in an entree. If you are obese it’s not someone elses fault…and well really you SHOULDN’T be eating out period. You should be eating healthy foods and preparing them yourself. It is a choice, no one starts of loving to eat clean and healthy but with practice and education you do begin to love it….
I agree with SUSAN
The American way is competition if some restaurants do this and take buisness away from others that don’t you can bet the others will follow suite in a hurry! If you like places that do this GO THERE! There is no problem you goofy do gooders as American you have a powerfull thing called FREEDOM so you can choose where you want to go! Don’t you dare try to take away the freedom of other Americans which are the buisiness owners in this case by passing another stupid Law! That is Communism people! Wake UP!
The problem is two fold, first, reading and understanding the ingredient list. For example glucose and dextrose are the same thing. Second is the quantity of the specific ingredient - 1 teaspoon of oil is not 20 teaspoons. All this requires a sophisticated reader to decifer
I think it’s up to the consumer to be educated about what they put in their body. Why do people have to be spoon-fed information? Come on people and do your homework!
Anyone with a basic sense of nutrition can tell if a meal has a high energetic value or not.
Being lactose intolerant and a vegetarian, I’m much more interested in the ingredients of a meal than I am in the amount of kilojoules/kilocalories that are in it.
It is necessary to post the information. Yes I can tell if I am making wise choices in general, but I am also a diabetic with an insulin pump who must count carbs. Carb counts vary widely in items that may look the same so when I eat out it is difficult to judge.
I think that if restaurants want to offer nutritional information it is up to them not the government. It is bad enough that the french fries from mcdonalds had to be changed because some mouthy woman took her kids there for dinner every night and they gained weight ( I wonder why). I think the main reasons kids gain weight is they have way to much homework and after they finish all their homework they don’t have much time to run and play so they play vidio games and watch tv before they go to bed with no exercize.