by Janet Jenson

Created on: July 20, 2007

Not on the menu, please!

People now have choices when they eat out. If a restaurant wishes to provide information about the calories and fat in their food, that is fine, but nobody is forced to dine in a particular establishment. People who need this kind of information have the right to ask for it, and clearly they can avoid patronizing businesses who do not accommodate them. Likewise, the rest of us should have the right to dine out free from blatant propaganda.

Yes, restaurants should be closely monitored on issues of sanitation. Yes, they ought to be held responsible for keeping the food free of contamination. But they must not be saddled with unnecessarily draconian requirements to educate their customers on matters that common sense should already have dictated. What happened to personal responsibility? Such labeling makes sense on the packaging of food purchased at a grocery store for preparation and consumption at home, but not at a restaurant.

Forcing businesses to waste their resources calculating calorie and fat counts is illogical in itself, but requiring them to display it on the menu is not only ridiculous, but an affront to anyone with an artistic temperament. The very thought of it takes my appetite away.

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