Researching a Call for Action

Researching a call for action and change regarding the obesity epidemic in America

Fact sheet: labeling calories on restaurant menus

The first week of December 2006, the New York City Board of Health passed a law last week that will force some New York City restaurants to list calories on their menus, beginning this summer. (Severson, 2003, p.1) The measure was designed to be a proactive step in stemming the tide of the nation's obesity epidemic. However, this rule will only apply to restaurants that have standardized recipes and that have made nutrition information publicly available on the Internet at sites like Dietfacts.com and Fitday.com. Only ten percent of the restaurants in New York will have to post calorie totals. "Not all big chains will have to disclose calories, either. Outback Steakhouse, for example, is exempt because it doesn't publish the fact that items like its Bloomin' Onion appetizer has almost 1,800 calories," a figure obtained through an outside calorie analysis. (Severson, 2006, p.1) The hope is that at very least posting calorie totals, for example informing eaters of the considerable caloric difference between small, medium, and large versions of popular hamburgers, might help consumers choose smaller portions. As noted by researcher Brian Wasink in his recently published 2006 book Mindless Eating, people will tend to finish whatever portion is in front of them, regardless of the size. In one of his experiments, people emptied 'bottomless' bowls of soup that were continually filled from spigots below the table. They seemed to have little idea of how much they had consumed and relied upon their eyes rather than their stomachs to assess their hunger cues. Muckraking journalist Eric Schlosser in Fast Food Nation (2005) revealed the profit-making motives behind the fattening nature of much of American fast food. The food industry, quite simply, makes more money the more people eat, and the more frequently they eat out. The industry makes much of its profits off of supersizing, or encouraging people to buy a larger size of cheap goods like soda or fries that cost only cents to produce. Fast food meals, especially when supersized, can contain almost half a day's total caloric requirements, and often consumers are unaware of this unless they make an effort to educate themselves, even though the physical effects of eating out for every meal were memorably chronicled in the film "Supersize Me." Being overweight or obese is not simply an aesthetic issue. Being overweight increases the risk of many diseases and health conditions, including hypertension, high total cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and respiratory problems, and many cancers. ("Overweight and Obesity,"2006, CDC: Council for Disease Control) As more people become obese, all of society will have to pay more to support an already overburdened healthcare system. This is why more and more restaurants are being encouraged to take responsibility for the food they purvey. Even the Food and Drug Administration admits that there is a strong link between obesity and eating out at restaurants. People are more likely to eat more at restaurants because of the large portions and the convivial atmosphere. (Zarroli, 2006) The government cannot force people to eat less. However, they can require restaurants to provide information to consumers about what the consumers are eating. Any food company that sells food in the supermarket has to provide calorie information to the consumer on a label. More and more people are eating out and do not prepare food at home. Shouldn't restaurants be required to do the same, so that people who eat out are equally well informed as people who cook at home?