| I've seen two articles lately about the ability of menu labeling to combat obesity. I think obesity is a bit of a false measure of our health, because thin people can be unhealthy just as fat people can be healthy. But there's a very real question in here: Do menu labels help us eat better? And do menu labels make us healthier?
Rick Berman, food industry shill, says that menu calorie labels don't reduce obesity. Berman backs up his point by saying that customers don't look at the labels. But that isn't proof that the labels don't work.
How can that be? After all, if they aren't reading the labels (and quite frankly, I question Berman's statistics... but let's assume this is true for the time being) how is it possible that the labels could be effective? Marion Nestle, professor at NYU and author of 4 of the best books about food you'll ever read, has the answer. Restaurants, scared to reveal how truly sinful their foods actually are, are cutting calories in their dishes! She says:
For starters, calorie labeling in California is having a big effect - on the companies, if not customers. The chains are madly cutting down on calories. The most impressive example is a Macaroni Grill 1,270-calorie scallop-and-spinach salad (I can't even imagine how they did this), which is now just a normal 390.
She later added to the post:
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is keeping track of the research along with policy implications. The bottom line to date? Menu labeling is having some effects, but there's more work to do.
Another Nestle post about Kaiser-Permanente's menu labeling effort says:
Kaiser-Permanente hospital cafeterias in California, Oregon, and Hawaii will soon be displaying information about calories and nutrition on menu boards. This huge not-for-profit HMO has a huge not-for-profit focus on preventive health. It figured out a long time ago that healthy people don't cost as much to take care of, and it constantly seeks new ways to encourage its members to stay healthy. That's why it sponsored a study to find out whether menu labeling helps people make healthier food choices. Guess what: it does.
Oops. Rick Berman, I guess you've now been proven wrong. And I agree with Nestle's point about the trustworthiness of KP's data. They are an HMO looking to cut costs by helping their patients stay healthier. They've got every possible incentive to conduct valid research on how to help people make healthier choices, since it goes to their bottom line.
I would add to this that regardless of calorie labeling's effectiveness, consumers have a right to know what's in their food. Period. If they aren't going to pay attention to the labels, that's their business. But the labels should be there so the consumers CAN find out what's in their food if they wish. As for the idea that few people actually read the labels - has Rick Berman ever met anyone on Weight Watchers? Those guys OBSESS over calorie counts (as well as fat and fiber). |
