New York wants to count your calories for you

by Nicole Weston, Posted Dec 14th 2006 @ 9:02AM

Another piece of legislation was overshadowed by the press surrounding the New York City's trans fat ban, though they were passed at the same time. The issue is that the city is now going to require some restaurants to list the calorie counts of some of their foods directly on their menus. The rule only applies to about 10% of restaurants in the city, restaurants with standardized menus that already make the information publicly available. In other words, it applies to chain restaurants that publish their calorie counts or put them on their websites. It does not apply to high-end restaurants or to the corner hamburger stand, places at which you have no way of knowing what you're getting in terms of calories, nor does it apply to chain restaurants that do not make their nutritional information known.

This clearly discourages companies from disclosing nutritional information. In fact, it penalizes companies that are making this information available already. If you want to eat healthier, you probably already know that skim milk has less fat and calories than whole milk and don't need an amended menu board to tell you so. In their attempt to police eating habits of the city's residents, the city may actually be making it more difficult for interested people to count calories, as companies retract their official calorie counts to avoid having to change all their menus (while their competitors don't) by early next year.

Filed Under: Did you know?, Health & Medical, Chefs & Restaurants, Coffee Shops, Fast Food, Restaurants
Tags: calorie, calories, chain restaurants, did you know, dunkin donuts, east coast, fast food, food, health, new york, NewYork, nutritional information, restaurant, restaurants, starbucks

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

12-15-2006 @8:12AM Mandy said... That's not fair at all.. chain restaurants already have the information available but all the others don't. Wouldn't it make more sense to make all the others have the information available? Not penalize the restaurants that are already providing it and shunting customers to choices that are likely even less healthy!
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