New York Fast Food Calorie Count
In New York an order has been passed that requires fast food chains with over 15 restaurants to publish the calorie content of their food. The percentage of people in the Big Apple who are considered obese has peaked over recent years which has prompted this move from officials.
Will it work?
This is the million dollar question and the fast food chains are obviously fearing the consequences if it does work. If they are worried about this move then surely they know something about the effects that this could have on them. I like the fact that New York is informing the New Yorkers of what is in their food and being more informed allows us to make educated decisions about our wellbeing and our family’s wellbeing. Do I think it will work? No (and trust me I would love to be proved wrong) giving people the calories in their food is like painting half the picture. This information is useless to people if they don’t know what to do with it. Without that education of nutrition and its effects on their health this information is pointless.
An Example
In England one of the major fast food chains has all the caloric information printed on its tray protectors and you can also just ask for the information from the cashier. On the form it tells you the calorie content of all its products including drinks. It also tells you the amount of calories the average person may consume in a day. There lies the problem: the ill informed could look at that list and say to themselves, well I can have the breakfast, then just the chips for lunch and a lovely burger for dinner. As far as they are concerned they are eating the required amount of calories and that to them is “healthy”.
All right, so that is quite an extreme example but believe me it happens and probably more often than you think. They will only make a real difference by including the education of nutrition at the start of a persons life. At the moment the fast food restaurants can relax, but what is getting them worried is that this is just the start of the change.
What needs to be done
It will take time to bring in all the measures to make change and education is obviously the cornerstone of this. Informing people of the health benefits and damages of the food they consume is important but it is just the start.
What’s the next phase? Well your guess is as good as mine but it could lead to a cap on the amount of “fast food” restaurants per square mile. It is human nature to get food from the easiest source and if it is not so easy to get hold of then that will help promote change.
Secondly I believe in having subsidies available for companies wanting to set up healthy food alternatives; this way will increase the number of options available to average consumer.
I don’t know what it is like in New York but here in England it is easy to say stop eating certain foods but it is really difficult for people to find easy healthy alternatives quickly in their lunch break. Companies should do more for their employees. If they are aware that there are no healthy alternatives nearby then it should be their duty to provide them. The benefits to them will be huge with better productivity from their staff and less “real” sick days.
Summary
I guess it all comes down to choice, if you want to make a difference to your lifestyle then it is ultimately down to you. The “powers that be” can make it easier for us but unless you really want to change, their time and your tax money could be wasted. If you want to make a change to your lifestyle then teach yourself about the food you eat and the food you should be eating, good luck and good health!
