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Exclusive: The new federal menu mandate meets the real world
Hot Air ^ | April 1, 2010 | Ed Morrissey

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:


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: mandate; menu
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W8D7pflcwM
1 posted on 04/03/2010 7:51:23 AM PDT by lowbridge
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To: lowbridge
Excerpted: http://hotair.com/archives/2010/04/01/exclusive-the-new-federal-menu-mandate-meets-the-real-world/
2 posted on 04/03/2010 7:51:58 AM PDT by lowbridge (Rep. Dingell: "Its taken a long time.....to control the people.")
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To: lowbridge

Will we be forced to read this BS too? Do we have to take quizzes when we walk into the door?


3 posted on 04/03/2010 8:02:40 AM PDT by bergmeid (Fumigate Washington NOW!!)
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To: lowbridge

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!


4 posted on 04/03/2010 8:06:57 AM PDT by subterfuge (BUILD MORE NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS NOW!!!)
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To: lowbridge

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.


5 posted on 04/03/2010 8:07:24 AM PDT by caseinpoint (Don't get thickly involved in thin things)
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To: bergmeid

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.


6 posted on 04/03/2010 8:08:02 AM PDT by Da Coyote
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To: Da Coyote

Obama as a verb and a noun. Both with negative connotations. I love it.


7 posted on 04/03/2010 8:10:51 AM PDT by bergmeid (Fumigate Washington NOW!!)
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To: lowbridge

If I was Davanni’s, I would be closing down two locations tomorrow.

(Now if you’re Pizza Hut, you’re just SOL).


8 posted on 04/03/2010 8:14:47 AM PDT by Stosh
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To: bergmeid

You mean like I just went to the bathroom and took a good Obama?


9 posted on 04/03/2010 8:15:39 AM PDT by 70th Division (I love my country but fear my government!)
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To: Da Coyote
I’m moving to the first state to tell Obama to shove it up his smelly 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!

10 posted on 04/03/2010 8:17:20 AM PDT by Flycatcher (God speaks to us, through the supernal lightness of birds, in a special type of poetry.)
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To: bergmeid

Can anyone help me find the part of the Constitution that includes the clause for this?


11 posted on 04/03/2010 8:19:08 AM PDT by yooling ( FUBO)
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To: lowbridge
From Hotair, a comment as to the size of a printed list of of calories in the various choices of pizza.

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

------------------------------------------------------------

I didn't make this up, I am just repeating it.

12 posted on 04/03/2010 8:51:24 AM PDT by TYVets
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To: lowbridge

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.


13 posted on 04/03/2010 9:03:45 AM PDT by DannyTN
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To: DannyTN
How hard is this really?

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.

14 posted on 04/03/2010 9:08:44 AM PDT by VeniVidiVici (Alfred E. Neuman for President! Oh, wait a minute ...)
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To: VeniVidiVici

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.


15 posted on 04/03/2010 9:20:00 AM PDT by MotherRedDog
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To: VeniVidiVici

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.


16 posted on 04/03/2010 10:04:57 AM PDT by DannyTN
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To: DannyTN
And publishing the calories and the carbs will discourage customers.

I don't think so.

17 posted on 04/03/2010 10:08:43 AM PDT by Right Wing Assault (The Obama magic is <strike>fading</strike>gone.)
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To: Right Wing Assault

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.


18 posted on 04/03/2010 10:13:12 AM PDT by DannyTN
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To: TYVets

Not only all that, but it will have to be in a large font size and multiple languages.


19 posted on 04/03/2010 10:17:43 AM PDT by AFreeBird
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To: DannyTN

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.


20 posted on 04/03/2010 10:20:44 AM PDT by AFreeBird
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