Graehm Gray: Restaurant Nutritional Labeling Laws
I was eating at a favorite restaurant with my family and another family and I started a discussion about the proposed regulations requiring restaurants to show all of the nutritional information on their menus. I asked the kids (girls ages 11-13) first what that would mean for them. Initially I thought that I would hear that they really wouldn’t look at that information. I was surprised at the answers. I listened as they told me very matter of fact, that they would read it and in fact would change their choices if they saw too much fat, sugar or salt. However I am not so sure when it comes to desserts if the nutrition facts would play any part in their decision making. Then I moved on to the adults. So I asked-would it matter to you? The answer I heard was-I would definitely read the information and tell my kids to choose something healthy. So I said-what about your choice. The responses were polarized-the moms said they would definitely choose a healthy item. The dad said-he would try to pick a healthier item but if not he would try to exercise more the next day if he didn’t. An interesting social experiment. You see my friends, it is inevitable that we will be getting barraged with more nutritional information-at the stores, on television, on the web and at now at ...
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