I take issue with the HEART Ordinance and the smoking ban. Generally, I’m four-square against the idea of over-governing a population. Too many rules never makes anything better. I guess sometimes I’m a Republican that way (emphasis on "sometimes").That said, I’m about to get all hypocritical here. I really think chain restaurants ought to print nutritional info on their menus, like the Center for Science in the Public Interest is calling for. If the info isn’t required on every single menu, an option to see something like that when you’re ordering is a great idea. Consider:Average calorie counts for sit-down chains can be 2,000 for an appetizer, 2,000 for a main course, and 1,700 for a dessert. We’re getting fatter all the time. Obesity is almost the leading cause of death in the U.S.The 10 pc. Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips at McDonald’s have 1,270 calories. The Quarter Pounder with Cheese has 510. I would have guessed differently were I making a choice at the drive through. Restaurants don’t want to do this, of course. But we’re a restaurant culture, especially in Albuquerque, and you know those chains are packed all the time. The reason I’d advocate this action in chains and not every restaurant is that getting nutritional info together can be a really expensive endeavor. Plus, most of the chain restaurants already have that information. Essentially, I believe this is an issue of protecting consumers. It’s the same thing as making sure people know that booze is bad for pregnant women. Consumers have a right to know this stuff about a product, not matter how inconvenient it may be for big business.
Knowledge And Fatness
2 min read
