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Should restaurants be required to list calories and fat grams on their menus?
Results so far:
| No | 47% | 1251 votes | Total: 2676 votes | |
| Yes | 53% | 1425 votes |
No
by Brandon Michael Davis
Created on: July 20, 2007 Last Updated: November 17, 2011
At a time in America where obesity is rampant—affecting nearly 34% of adults and 17% of children (CDC)—many people believe restaurants should be required to post nutrient information on their menus.
In fact, the new health care reform bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, has mandated that by January 1, 2014, restaurant chains of 20 or more locations must post the caloric content of products on all menus. This act also requires restaurants to have additional nutrient information, including saturated fat, carbohydrate, and sodium amounts, available upon request.
A Misrepresented Issue
The underlying question here is, Should the government force restaurants and food vendors to post nutrient information? And the underlying assumption is that restaurants don’t already do this.
Of course, some restaurants and food service providers do not post this information on their menus. But many do. And many that don’t put this information on their menus have it readily available.
So while some people believe the government must require restaurants to post health information in order to ensure companies’ compliance, the reality is that market forces have already begun to force this change. Companies felt pressure from their customers to provide this information, and so they did.
The Real Problem
The obesity rate in America may, to some small degree, be caused by restaurants not posting nutrient information. But ultimately, people want to eat food that isn’t healthy because it tastes amazing. And people should have the right to choose what they eat.
So adding calorie values to menus is really a futile plan toward solving the problem of obesity in America. The real problem isn’t knowing what food is healthy, it’s making healthy choices—and you don’t need an exact calorie count to make healthy eating choices. Most people have an adequate general understanding of healthy eating to know whether their choices are good or bad regardless of posted caloric content. Many people, however, simply don’t care what they eat.
And healthy eating is only part of the equation. Another equally if not more important factor in obesity is activity. The work in America today is generally less physical than in times past, and leisure time is generally spent sitting on a couch watching television or playing video games.
The real problem isn’t a lack of posted nutrient information, it’s a combination of unhealthy eating habits and excess inactivity—and for good or ill, these are choices individuals should have the right to make.
Conclusion
The government shouldn’t require restaurants to post nutritional information on their menus. Such a mandate won’t solve the problem of obesity and isn’t necessary because consumer-led demand has already forced restaurants and food vendors to provide this information.
Works Consulted
Edwin Mora. “Health Care Bill Mandates That Restaurants Display Nutrition Information on Menus .” CNS News. August 2009. http://cnsnews.com/news/article/health-care-bill-mandates-restaurants-display-nutrition-information-menus. Accessed November 2011.
Lyndsey Layton. “FDA proposal would require chain restaurants to display calorie information.” Washington Post. April 2011. http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/fda-proposal-would-require-chain-restaurants-to-display-calorie-information/2011/04/01/AFOxCkHC_story.html. Accessed November 2011.
“Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.” Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patient_Protection_and_Affordable_Care_Act. Accessed November 2011.
Learn more about this author, Brandon Michael Davis.
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Yes
by J G Williams
Created on: November 24, 2009 Last Updated: December 06, 2009
The practice of good nutrition in America is failing. One reason is that Americans eat out, more than any other culture. And as long as they aren't getting food poisoning from restaurants, most people consider this food healthy to eat. There are various things regarding nutrition and restaurant food, that we don't know. One good example is nutritional content. When eating our meal, we might ask ourselves some of these questions...What is the amount of fat grams in that country fried steak? Or how much saturated fat does that frozen caramel mountain have in it? Can I be sure the world's famous juicy burger is made with 98% lean beef? Is the grease that those batter fried fish fillets cook in, use lard, or vegetable oil? And, how much sodium does that serving of lasagna really have? If we knew the answers to these questions, then we might be able to start tackling the reason why so many Americans are out of shape. So what would be the benefit to having calories, and fat grams, listed on the menus?
One benefit would be better eating choices. If a person has decided to go out and eat, they are still going to spend money at a restaurant, so there is no issue concerning lost revenue. If people had nutrition information on the menu, they would just simply pick the better meal. And if possible, the better dessert. When restaurants know what people will eat, they usually make the adjustments necessary to their menu. Why? Because we know that profits, are determined by demand. So if everyone decided they were going to eat lean beef, instead of fatty beef, it's likely you would be seeing that menu choice in the near future.
The second greatest benefit to having calorie and fat grams on the menu, would be decreased medical costs. Okay we all would benefit from decreased medical costs, wouldn't we? Not only would insurance premiums go down for companies, but out of pocket medical costs would go down for consumers as well. In the news, we hear non-stop info about the uninsured in America ,as well as the increase in poor health. But what we don't know is how much of these costs would be deferred, if people were given better nutritional information. I think this is worth a government study to see how many people would make the healthier choice, if given this information on their menus.
And the third benefit would be, the demand and supply for healthy quality food would go up. If you did have nutritional information on your menu, would you likely eat there again with the current choices? Maybe not, but you would go to Healthyburger, instead of Fat burger, because you know that they served 98% lean, yummy burgers. And then a few other people would notice that Healthyburger has a great 98% lean burger, and they would start going there as well. Pretty soon, Fatburger notices they're losing customers, and realized it's because they don't sell lean burgers. So next thing you know Fatburger, is no longer "fat", they start selling good lean burgers, and now you have another choice of someplace tasty, and healthy to eat.
Nutritional information in restaurants, is worth the money and time needed, to empower consumers to make healthy choices. If consumers are given the opportunity to make healthy choices, not only will they be a loyal customer, but hopefully a healthier one as a result.
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