Posted on 05/19/2009 12:06:36 PM PDT by reaganaut1
Two federal lawmakers have introduced legislation to require fast-food and other chain restaurants to post calories on menu boards and food display tags. The chains also would have to put information about calories, fats, carbohydrates and salt on printed menus.
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) on Thursday introduced the Menu Education and Labeling Act, called the MEAL Act for short. They said it would help consumers make more informed choices about the nutritional content of the food they are ordering.
The bill has the support of many consumer and health groups and emulates legislation signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in September that requires chain restaurants in California to display calorie counts with each menu item. That was the nation's first state law of its kind; it won the support of the California Restaurant Assn. because it standardized requirements and preempted ordinances in Santa Clara and San Francisco.
Health advocates believe that when people see the amount of calories, fat and salt in meals before they order them, they will gravitate to more healthful selections.
"Consumers play an impossible guessing game trying to make healthier choices in restaurants," said Margo Wootan, nutrition policy director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "Who would guess that a large chocolate shake at McDonald's has more calories than two Big Macs or that a multigrain bagel at Dunkin' Donuts has 140 more calories than a jelly doughnut?"
The restaurant industry is pushing a competing bill. The Labeling Education and Nutrition Act, nicknamed the LEAN Act, would require chains with more than 20 units to post calorie counts. It also would nullify state and local measures now in effect and preempt future regional measures.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
I’m against a law requiring this, but I sure would enjoy it if more restaurants did this voluntarily. I avoid a lot of places because unless I go searching around on the internet, I don’t have any idea how many calories there are in the meal. It would be awesome to have that right there on the menu. But, once again, it’s not the government’s responsibility to require something like that. Should be up to the businesses themselves.
MMMMmmmm....milkshake....maybe that’s what I’ll have for lunch....instead of something healthy!
This is such a lie.
Just about every fast food or restaurant we eat at will gladly give you the nutritional information off their website as a .pdf or excel spreadsheet.
I wish a creative Republican would put an amendment into this bill that the charges for increased food prices from menu changes will be paid for from the salaries of Democratic House Leadership.
I know I would like to know how many calories are in meals at places I go to. Sure, I could usually look it up on-line before I go for some places but how often will I do that? And many places don't offer that But when I go to Olive Garden or Outback I'd like to be able to have a menu that tells me exactly what it is I'm consuming.
Using government to help people empower themselves is, IMO, a legitimate use. It's when the government starts making those choices or pushing people one way or the other that bothers me.
We still like the FDA to make sure our meat is safe right? And to inspect the facilities food is processed/stored at right? There is little difference here.
How did the citizenry survive before the government controlled every aspect of their lives? How will the citizenry survive when the air we breathe is taxed for our own good?
Control.
“This is not the business of the federal government.”
And when did that ever stop the government.
What a waste of their time and OUR money.
Stop right there! Your post has a food reference and I see no calorie information whatsoever. You are hereby fined $500.
Right and what ever happened to "it's the economy stupid"? The economy is in the toilet and the democrats in Washington are doing everything they can to make the cost of doing business higher.
How does the federal govt have power over McDonalds?
They dont get federal money. Only the states or cities can make these laws
It might not be a wise exercise of Federal power, but it is not an unconstitutional exercise of Federal power.
I agree, I already have two parents.....I don’t need anymore.
This sort of regulation is something that should happen (and does) on the state and local level.
To quote the 10th ammendment:
“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
You cannot expect a document written over two centuries ago to really be applicable in the modern world, do you.
They want it in bigger letters that some people can’t read in English or other wise.
I'll send that to Barnie ~ he's sensitive to issues affecting colons.
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