It's Our City is a project that uses TV, Radio and Web
to promote civic engagement in the Philadelphia region.Counting Calories in Philly
Monday, December 22nd, 2008 at 11:44 am - by Stephanie Marudas. Filed under: Uncategorized.
In case you didn’t hear, chain restaurants and retail food establishments in Philly will have to post nutritional information for food and beverages starting January 2010. The new menu labeling law made headlines last week locally and nationally. NYC was among the first in the nation to pioneer menu labeling. But the Big Apple’s law is not as tough as the one the City of Brotherly Love will be dishing out. The law, which Philly’s elected officials have approved, will require calories, trans fat, fat, carbs, and sodium content all be posted. Right now in NYC, calorie information is the only nutritional value required to be posted. Actually happened to be in Manhattan this weekend and stepped into a chain cafe. Indeed, the calories are posted right beside the price of each item. Definitely makes you think twice when you’re thinking about ordering something hot to sip. Do you take the small hot chocolate, 290 calories, and or the small cappuccino, 110 calories? Yikes. Well, that’s exactly what proponents of menu labeling regulations want you to feel. They think you should have access to this information the same way you do when you go shopping in the supermarket. So what do you think about our city council and mayor approving this measure? Are they doing us good? Or should they stay out of it? Do you think the law is a step in the right direction in the fight against what our politicians say is an obesity epidemic, or not? Please feel free to comment on other related issues.
December 22nd, 2008 at 11:58 am
I don’t know. It’s good to have this information, but it’s not really necessary. Animals and sensible people don’t need to read charts, graphs, and diagrams before they eat. You know what’s good for you. You know what’s bad for you. You don’t need to know how good the good is and how bad the bad is down to the microgram. Just eat good food, and you’ll be OK. As far as I’m concerned, this is an unnecessary expense for business owners.
December 22nd, 2008 at 12:18 pm
This is really just another example of how people like to blame everyone else but themselves for their bad health. I agree with Tim G., it isn’t difficult to know what is good and what is bad. However, chain restaurants are notoriously ridiculous with their caloric content. Your best bet is to stay away from them and hit a locally owned establishment. 9 times out of 10 their food is fresher, of higher quality, and tastes a bajillion times better.
December 22nd, 2008 at 6:28 pm
I think this is fairly ridiculous. For one thing, do you have any idea how much extra this will mean in terms of printing? For another, so few people nowadays know what dietary elements are actually harmful, thanks to a million scientifically inaccurate crash diets. I work at the same “chain cafe” mentioned above, and we’ve always had the nutrition information available for those who request it, but printing it on the menu boards? This country has the worst eating disorder problem.
December 22nd, 2008 at 7:11 pm
I actually kind of like this - it’s amazing how BAD some things are for you that you wouldn’t expect.
I know I was surprised to find out that a chicken salad sandwich I ordered while out was 769 calories with 39g of fat when I got home and looked it up online.
Having the nutrition information available at the point of ordering allows consumers to make a more informed decision about the food choices they make.
I disagree with Tim G. that “how bad the bad is” really is important and can help people make better decisions.
If I want cake I’ll get cake - but maybe I’ll get the cake that has less calories and fat instead of the one loaded with calories and fat (And which cake is the worst for you isn’t always the one you would expect. Most people don’t think the boring Girl scout Trefoil cookies would have more calories and fat than the peanut filled Do-si-do . . but they do.) This is why having nutrition information is important. Sometimes food isn’t as bad/ or good as you think it would be.
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:53 pm
This seems to me to be something city government should be doing - provide information so that citizens can make better decisions. Food manufacturers do this; why shouldn’t restaurants have the same requirements? It’s useful information - I was at Qdoba today and I would’ve liked to know the calorie difference between a burrito and a naked taco salad. I know the burrito is worse for me, but I have no idea how much worse. 200 calories? 800 calories? For a 15-store chain, the cost seems minimal - just include the information the next time a menu is printed.
I’d be interested in how hard fast food establishments fought these measures in Philly - could anyone who’s familiar with city council weigh in? The chain restaurants must have an idea of how it will affect sales based on their NYC experience. Maybe they’ve found that most people don’t care and consequently they didn’t fight it too hard.
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:02 pm
Ha! I just clicked through to the article and saw that the Qdoba burrito is 1500 calories! If I only had this information at lunch. . .