Unless you’re Jared from Subway, few people who are looking for trimmer waistlines head to fast food restaurants.
Yet McDonald’s 14,000 restaurants all over the nation, including over along the Peninsula, have chosen to include calorie counts on their menus ahead of the President Obama’s new healthcare law that requires it, Reuters reported.
Chain restaurants with 20 or more locations must include calorie counts and other nutrition details on menus thanks to the Supreme Court’s decision in June to uphold the healthcare law. The deadline to do so has not been announced.
“We wanted to voluntarily do this,” Jan Fields, president of McDonald’s USA, told The Associated Press. “We believe it will help educate customers.”
You can now calculate how much a Big Mac and large fries is (1,050 calories), or a Sausage Egg McMuffin and a hot chocolate (750 calories.)
Cindy Goody, senior director of nutrition for McDonald's USA, described the company's latest move as a way to help its customers understand their food choices, Reuters reported.
Subway and Panera Bread locations have also started posting calorie counts on their menus.
Do you want to know how many calories are in your food? Do you think this will slow a growing obesity epidemic amongst children? Let us know in the comments.
Len Saunders http://www.lensaunders.com
If one is so concerned about managing peoples weight, how about restricting the foods you can use with food stamps. If you cant manage your own life to the point you need others to feed you, its highly unlikely you will be able to make the slightly more subtle choices of choosing the right things to eat. When you look to others to manage your life, you give up your freedom.
In the words of the venerable Dalai Lama, "Sometimes it's just better to keep the secret sauce a secret".
@Bob: please read the question next time: it asks about fast food chains, not small mom and pop places. Besides, there is reasonably priced software now: enter two slices of bread, 3 oz. turkey, 1 T mayo, etc and it will give you the calorie & fat count. Might even add 2 roaches for Vince since he doesn't like the County Health dep't interfering. Except in SanFran, this is not a proposal to limit your choices, just gives you the opportunity to make an informed decision. Kind of like knowing the policies of the candidate you will vote for (or against) in November.
Perfect Bergie! Thanks for making my point for me! Leave it to the ingenuity of the free marketplace to figure out how we can get our calorie counts without requiring the intervention of Big Brutha. Bergie, I don't know why you chose to sidetrack this thread into a discussion about dining on roaches and rat feces, but I strongly recommend that you stop frequenting such establishments ASAP. Seriously, I think calories should be the least of your concerns...