Annie Short, Marketing Intern:
As the obesity rate continues to climb in the United States, new ideas to shrink our ever-growing waistlines are on the rise. A law in Washington, California, New York, Pennsylvania and other states now requires chain restaurants to provide calorie and nutrition information to its customers in hopes that people will make healthier choices.
Recently, I ate out at two chain restaurants that I frequently go to. A nutritional guide was set down along with menu. I was torn about whether I should look. Would I feel guilty about the past food choices I had made, or would I be pleased to know that I had been eating healthy all along? I looked and I felt guilty. Some of the pastas I had eaten in the past had 1,000 calories or more. Even some of the salads I love without dressing had over 800 calories.
I asked people how they felt about this new restaurant calorie mandate and I got mixed reviews. Many said that they enjoy knowing how many calories they are consuming and that they would try and make healthier choices. A few people said ignorance is bliss and the rest said they just don’t care.
My feeling is that most of America falls into the latter groups and this is where our problem lies. Nutrition information has been available at many chain restaurants for years. I know that McDonalds, Starbucks, Red Robin and P.F. Chang’s have offered their nutritional information online for some time now. Will it really make a difference to throw this information in someone’s face who is craving a Big Mac, or will it only make them feel (more) guilty? Do people even know what the information means?
Although I do believe that many people will benefit from this new law, the real problem is much more complicated than just knowing how many calories are in your meal. Restaurant portions have increased substantially over the past 20 years, along with more processed food and a decrease in physical activity, it is no wonder that America’s weight problem has grown. Nonetheless, while it may not solve everything, the new calorie-label requirements may keep restaurants a bit more accountable about what they are serving – and that could help our expanding waistlines in the long run.