Whats wrong with with putting the number of calories in food on menus?

Question

In New York companies are suing against a law that would require restaurants to display calorie ***** for all their food along with the price. Whats wrong with telling people what their getting?

I mean the food industry have always argued thats its a persons right to choose what they eat so why are they fighting to keep people uninformed on what they eat?

Answer 1

Customers would want to know how many calories they are putting into their bodies.

Answer 2

people would stop eating at the rest,

Answer 3

easy to explain. in the kitchen HUMANS are working and products are also not always from the same supplier or the same producer.

you ahppen to make your greek salad with xyz feta that  has xyz calories..

tomorrow you ahve to take on a different supplier because the one you use is out of stock. the cheese has a different fat content. should you print the whole menu new?

it would be a pain in the neck and as i know the yanks they will sue the pants of the restaurateur if the calory count might be wrong and one fat slob who's backside does not fit onto two chairs is getting 5 calories more than what is printed on the menu.

i am glad i do not work in new york and feel sorry for any chef or restaurateur if this law comes true.

Answer 4

Honestly, if people knew how many calories their food had, many restaurants would go out of business.  We want to get what we think is the maximum value for our dollar.  So even though we may want to be health conscious, we still want to see a full plate.

The average portion of food served these days is anywhere from 2 to 3 times the normal serving size.  For instance, most vegetables have a serving size of 1/2 cup.  When was the last time you saw a 1/2 cup of french fries on a plate?  Meat servings should be in the 3 to 4 ounce size.  So that 12 ounce steak is actually 3 to 4 servings.  Follow that with all the fat put in food and extra salt, and yes, you have the dietary equivalent of the thermonuclear gut bomb.

For the person who wants to know, most restaurants can provide nutritional information on the food being served.  The problem is, most people really don't want to know.

Answer 5

Well, the first question to ask is... should the government mandate how a restaurant displays foods on a menu?A lot of restaurants supply that information on their websites and you can ask the manager at the restaurant if you are curious/need to know. If a restaurant doesn't supply that information, it is your right as a consumer to chose another place, call and make a suggestion, etc...

I don't think they are fighting to be able to hide things from the consumers, but for their right to run their business/restaurant without silly legislation.

The whole concept of the free market is that somehow you need to separate your business from others making them want to come to you. If a restaurant chooses to have their calories on their menu and consumers like it, they may attract more customers and other restaurants may follow suit. It seems like calories on menus would be convenient, however, its for the public to demand, not for the government to dictate.

Answer 6

People would see it, realize what they're doing to their health and order less or stop going to restaurants.

Answer 7

People like to sue over the slightest thing. People are sue happy, and out to make a quick buck. I dont really care if the Calorie info is on the menu or not. I guess it may make some people paranoid as to what they eat!