Posted on 04/03/2010 7:51:23 AM PDT by lowbridge
Yesterday, I spent a little time at a local pizzeria to find out more about the impact of the new federal menu mandate in the real world. Davanni’s has 21 locations throughout the Twin Cities, a smaller, local chain that suddenly must now comply with this federal requirement to publish the caloric content of each of its menu items on all of its printed presentations. However, these restaurants have a problem when they offer their customers a wide range and high number of options — as most pizzerias do. Ken Schelper, a Vice President of Davanni’s, sat down with me yesterday to explain just how costly this new mandate is, and how difficult compliance will be:
Will we be forced to read this BS too? Do we have to take quizzes when we walk into the door?
Thanks Barama, BOY POTUS. He would have government regulate our caloric intake if he could get away with it. This law will ease us into that era. Hooray for government control of everything! Utopia, here we come!
My husband is really conflicted about this. He is very opposed to government regulation of this type but, on the other hand, he designs equipment used, among other applications, to analyze food to determine nutrition and caloric content. So what is bad for the country is, at least temporarily, good for his company’s bottom line. Many of the crazy environmental regs pose the same conflict for him, by the way.
I’m moving to the first state to tell Obama to shove it up his smelly Obama.
Come on, Texas, do it.
And while you’re at it, I’m willing to pay some taxes to put up big signs at the borders of Texas with a giant finger telling Obama to go Obama himself.
Let’s see what the non-productive “progressives” do when there’s no one around to feed them give them electricity and gas, and provide medical care.
Obama as a verb and a noun. Both with negative connotations. I love it.
If I was Davanni’s, I would be closing down two locations tomorrow.
(Now if you’re Pizza Hut, you’re just SOL).
You mean like I just went to the bathroom and took a good Obama?
I'm also waiting for the next "shot heard round the world."
But this shot will be the first state that refuses to honor a federal (and unfunded) mandate.
I'm an optimist. It has to happen soon. It HAS to!
Can anyone help me find the part of the Constitution that includes the clause for this?
A book 38" thick.
Estimate of how much paperwork the new Obamacare calorie publication mandate would require:
The following example is for build-your-own pizzas only. Please forgive any mistakes as my permutation & combination theory may be a little rusty.
Types of pizzas:
crust types: 2
sizes: 3
different topping items (from web site): 21 (20 toppings plus plain)
Total of all combinations of size, crust & toppings: 12,582,906
To publish the calorie count of each of the possible pizzas you could use telephone book style printing (similar size font, 1 pizza per line, two columns, double sided):
total pages required: 28,598
number of pages/inch typical phone book: 750
thickness of calorie count publication: 38 inches
So you would need to give out a 38” thick “phone book” with each menu. Note that this estimate is for publishing the calorie counts for build-your-own pizzas only & does not allow for double or triple pizza toppings or any of the other menu items. It also does not allow for other possible mandated listings such as salt, trans fat, cholesterol etc.
PointyHairedBoss on April 1, 2010 at 1:21 PM
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I didn't make this up, I am just repeating it.
How hard is this really?
Pizza places don’t like it because they are high carb restaurants. All that bread. And publishing the calories and the carbs will discourage customers.
For stupid people that don't think all that crust and cheese are high in carbs and calories, it must be really difficult. Why else would the nanny-staters implement regulations as ridiculous as this?
This would only make sense to those people who think McDonald's is a health food store.
It appears “Obama” is becoming the word that can be used to really make a point. Like one commenter above says, “Go Obama yourself”. I find that funny because yesterday one of my friends came over with her grandson who “accidently” fell into my pool. She was yelling at him to get out and I was laughing and told him he was acting just like Obama. He’s 9. He jumped out and told me NO WAY. I’M NOT AN OBAMA, HE TALKS TO MUCH AND DOESN’T DO WHAT PEOPLE SAY.
Pretty smart for 9.
Actually, I think it would be nice to be able to compare. Determine which pizza in the area is healthiest. I’m trying to make my own low carb crust, but haven’t gotten the formula right yet.
I thought the chicken selects were a relatively healthy choice at McDonalds and I was letting my son have them. Then they finally put a nutrition label on them and I realized one serving was 6 grams of trans fat. So I stopped.
Since that time McDonalds here has changed the grease they fry them in, and they are now 0 grams of trans fat (in this area, not sure if it is nation wide yet. Last I read Mcdonalds was implementing this gradually). Now I let him have them again.
I like nutrition labels. It’s a one time cost for a restaurant. It doesn’t deprive consumers of choice, but allows for an informed choice.
And given our nation’s obesity/diabetes epidemics and the way healthcare costs are breaking the nation, it’s one of the simplist and least offensive things government can do.
I don't think so.
Actually what you will probably see is a gradual move to healthier options. People won’t stop buying pizza but you will see more whole grain or low carb crusts.
There is already that trend. Pizza hut has the natural.
Not only all that, but it will have to be in a large font size and multiple languages.
I want good old fasioned Zza. I don’t care about carbs or calories. If they start changing their crusts an stuff, I’ll stop eating it.
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