FDA wants restaurants’ to post calorie count of each meal in the menu

April 5th, 2011 - 12:59 am ICT by Aishwarya Bhatt  

Washington DC, April 4 (THAINDIAN NEWS) The Food and Drugs Administration is proposing that restaurants should post the calorie count of each meal on their menu. The proposal targets restaurants with chains of 20 or more as well as bakeries, coffee chains, grocery stores and convenience stores.

If the proposal is accepted, about 280,000 establishments throughout the United States would be affected. The establishments are clearly expected to print every detail concerning the amounts of calories contained in each meal with the exception of alcohol. Soft drinks and vending machines are included in the proposal.

The deputy commissioner for foods at the FDA, Mike Taylor, explained why the new proposal was so important. He said that, “We’ve got a huge obesity problem in this country and its due in part to excess calorie consumption outside the home. Consumers generally when you ask them say they would prefer to have that information.”

The FDA said they ultimately want every consumer to be aware of exactly what a meal contains before he/she makes the order.

The new measure would however not affect businesses whose main aim is not to sell food. That means hospitals, theaters and airlines would not be affected by the new measure.

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