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New Yorkers try to swallow calorie sticker shock
MSNBC ^ | 7/16/08 | Roni Caryn Rabin

Posted on 08/03/2008 8:25:52 AM PDT by mngran2

New Yorkers have been in the throes of sticker shock since this spring when the Big Apple became the first city in the country to implement a law forcing chain restaurants to post the calorie count of each food in the same size and font as the price.

Restaurants have not exhausted their legal challenges, but the city will start fining violators up to $2,000 beginning Friday, say officials with the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

While some sit-down chains and fast-food eateries are waiting until the last minute, coffee shops like Starbucks — home of the 470 calorie raspberry scone and 610 calorie cookie — have been replacing their menu boards and adding calorie tags to pastries in recent weeks. The result: Do a little eavesdropping in a New York City restaurant, and you may think you’ve stumbled into an Overeaters Anonymous meeting.

At T.G.I. Friday’s, one of the few sit-down chain restaurants to have already added calorie counts to menus, a group of young women gasped as they studied the menu, barely able to find a meal under 1,000 calories, never mind an appetizer or dessert. Both Stephanie Fowler and Lindsay Green asked about the suddenly popular Classic Sirloin — at 290 calories, it was one of the lowest calorie items on the menu — but learned the restaurant ran out by the time the dinner rush started.

Outside the Forest Hills’ Dunkin’ Donuts, Juan Restrepo, the 45-year-old owner of a construction company, said he was quitting corn muffins — 510 calories! — this time for good.

(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; US: New York
KEYWORDS: calories; food; foodpolice; foodsupply; nannysrate; nannystate; newyork
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To: GOP_Lady

Wow, FR is infested with the food nanneezzz...hey you idiots it doesn’t stop at your personal favorite nannism...next the state will tell you how many calories you may consume and what they will do to punish you if you break the law. The state may just have to deprive you of the privilage of consuming calories, remember the slippery slop of fascism/coomunism?
Whadda bunch of lemmings here!


61 posted on 08/03/2008 10:21:25 AM PDT by iopscusa (El Vaquero. (SC Lowcountry Cowboy))
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To: cammie
It hasn’t taken away any of my autonomy, but provides full disclosure

No, it just takes away the autonomy of hundreds of businesses who now have to put their profits toward obeying a new law which will result in their profits being further reduced. Sheesh.

62 posted on 08/03/2008 10:26:24 AM PDT by what's up
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To: what's up

Soon it will come to how many calories you are allowed to purchase. Any over that and you either pay a sin tax or are not allowed to have it. But the “sin” tax is the logical alternative, since Liberal/Socialism needs increased revenue to come up with more ideas.

Like Cap and Trade, you could also be able to purchase additional calories from someone who eats nothing but uncontaminated vegetables (No dressings) and drinks government approved water. The possibilities are vast and unlimited for the future of Liberals and government.


63 posted on 08/03/2008 10:37:43 AM PDT by PSYCHO-FREEP (Juan McCain....The lesser of Three Liberals.")
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To: iopscusa

More and more and more people want the government to do things for them that they could have done themselves. It’s becoming a very sad state of affairs and is indeed troublesome. I wonder what Ronald Reagan would think of what we’re becoming. God rest the soul of that wonderful human being.


64 posted on 08/03/2008 10:39:38 AM PDT by GOP_Lady
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To: iopscusa

LET THE FREE MARKET WORK!


65 posted on 08/03/2008 10:40:07 AM PDT by GOP_Lady
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To: GOP_Lady

YOU are in charge of the free market.


66 posted on 08/03/2008 10:40:22 AM PDT by GOP_Lady
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To: GOP_Lady

Tell businesses what you want and expect.


67 posted on 08/03/2008 10:41:01 AM PDT by GOP_Lady
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To: PSYCHO-FREEP
They did it with smoking.

The logical next step was food. Now they're ramping that up. Amazing how many Freepers seem to be in agreement with them.

One can't control one's own eating habits so one has to have the Gov't help regulate one's own passions.

68 posted on 08/03/2008 10:46:03 AM PDT by what's up
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To: cammie
By now, one should know approximately how many calories are in a doughnut. If not, maybe one should not eat it. I would not like to live in an area with the type of nanny-state government that NYC has — it deprives freedom and takes away responsibility from the individual — bigger and bigger and bigger government.
69 posted on 08/03/2008 10:48:12 AM PDT by GOP_Lady
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To: cammie

I live in the #4 county in the nation (according to Forbes Magazine) in which to raise a family — SMALLER government — and it’s why I moved there in 1989. I don’t think I would even want to visit NYC — just not my type of tea.


70 posted on 08/03/2008 10:49:52 AM PDT by GOP_Lady
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To: mngran2

The ought to force feed the stickers back down the city government’s throat. But then again in NYC a majority of voters like being told what to do and what to eat by their elected socialist it seems.


71 posted on 08/03/2008 10:51:07 AM PDT by cva66snipe ($.01 The current difference between the DEM's and GOP as well as their combined worth to this nation)
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To: Melas

Excellent.

I try to exercise and watch my food intake so this helps me.

Liberals have FORCED fast food places to add salads and yoghurt only to find out that most people want to order the fattening stuff. Now, as you know, the Los Angeles City Council has banned fast food places from opening up in minority areas as a result.

I guess Democrats are too dumb to make informed choices. Yet it doesn’t surprise me.


72 posted on 08/03/2008 10:54:17 AM PDT by BunnySlippers (I have already previewed or do not wish to preview this composition.)
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To: GOP_Lady

It’s not that I don’t like big cities, but Vegas, not NYC, it what I like — FREEDOM.


73 posted on 08/03/2008 10:56:07 AM PDT by GOP_Lady
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To: mngran2
a law forcing chain restaurants to post the calorie count of each food

Notice that this law only applies to fast food/chain restaurants, not upscale restaurants frequented by wealthy NYC liberals.

74 posted on 08/03/2008 11:00:12 AM PDT by LibFreeOrDie
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To: LibFreeOrDie
Indeed, not the high-end restaurants. I guess the elites don't want it, so “let them eat cake,” again. Hypocrites. Either do something ALL THE WAY or not at all.
75 posted on 08/03/2008 11:06:39 AM PDT by GOP_Lady
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To: Melas
It's pretty disgusting when you read how hard you have to exercise to burn off what it took you minutes to eat.

Fortunately, it doesn't work quite that way. A fit person burns more calories just sitting, and uses fat for energy more than a fat person.

So getting fit will make it much easier for someone to eat higher calories and not get fat.

76 posted on 08/03/2008 11:18:17 AM PDT by D-fendr (Deus non alligatur sacramentis sed nos alligamur.)
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To: John123

Why would that be too much information?


77 posted on 08/03/2008 11:22:54 AM PDT by A knight without armor
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To: mngran2

It’s only being done to prepare the mind-numbed public for more intrusive government action, such as decreeing what foods to serve and their content.


78 posted on 08/03/2008 11:23:11 AM PDT by BooksForTheRight.com (Fight liberal lies with knowledge. Read conservative books and articles.)
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To: GOP_Lady

I couldn’t disagree more. I believe whole-heartedly that people have the right to know the ingredients and caloric content of any consumable product. That’s not a liberal view in the least.


79 posted on 08/03/2008 11:25:28 AM PDT by Melas (Offending stupid people since 1963)
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To: what's up

That’s where you’re wrong. Nothing is regulated here, just disclosed. IMHO, you as a consumer have the right to pick up a can of corn and be able to read exactly what’s in it, and how many calories it has in it before you eat it.


80 posted on 08/03/2008 11:27:49 AM PDT by Melas (Offending stupid people since 1963)
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