FDA Tells Restaurants to Post Calorie Counts: Will We Make Better Food Choices?

By: Aina Hunter
Topics: Health Care ,; News ,; Food and Drink

New FDA guidelines call for nutritional information to be posted for foods sold via vending machines and at chain restaurants (AP)

(CBS) Can you handle the truth - about the calorie content of the restaurant meals you eat?

You're about to find out, thanks to new FDA guidelines that call for restaurants to post nutritional information about menu items in a "clear and conspicuous manner."

The guidelines, which affect chain restaurants and food sold from vending machines, call for eateries to post calorie counts on menus and menu boards.

The FDA issued the guidelines as part of the health-care bill President Obama signed into law last March.

According to the FDA, Americans consume about one-third of our total calories on food prepared outside of the home, and we are, by and large, unaware of the awesome number of calories in much of it.

The FDA hopes that accurate nutritional information will help us make better food choices.

About two-thirds of adults and one-third of children between the ages of two and 19 are overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Obesity increases the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and certain types of cancer.

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by rf35 August 31, 2010 6:12 AM EDT: I think the people who are fat because they don't care won't be affected by this. It might help generally healthy people to avoid "surprise" calories in foods that might look like good choices on the outside. For instance, some fast food salads have more calories than the feature burger combo! And it might cause a few people to rethink their order if they realize they are about to consume an entire day's worth of calories in one sitting.; Reply to this comment


by Nate650 August 30, 2010 8:57 PM EDT: I'd much rather have ingredient information than calorie information. A meal consisting of cheap industrial food and 400 calories is not healthier than a 800 calorie meal consisting of fresh whole ingredients. The quality of the calories matters more than the quantity since preservatives, chemicals, hormones, antibiotics etc. are not accounted for in calorie counts.; Reply to this comment


by amulette August 30, 2010 11:02 AM EDT: This is just stupid and going too far I believe.People know whats fattening or not and what is and isn't good for them.I say just live your life to enjoy,and that means eating what you love.Just don't overdue it.; Reply to this comment