New York City's Board of Health has asked fast-food restaurants to list the calories of all items offered in their menu. It is not a difficult thing to do. McDonald's already offered the information regarding calories of various items offered by them, on its Web site. One can also find them on the back of tray liners and in restaurant brochures.
Most of the restaurants are not happy with the proposal and are resisting the idea. It is a change to be welcomed as it could help to control intake of food rich in calories.The board probably will succeed on trans fats. There are many good alternatives and the harm done when consumed in excess over time is clear.
But the activists wouldn't stop there. There might be more court cases seeking damages, laws seeking to tax food items rich in fats or calories, or maybe to limit just how many calories can be bought by a consumer at one time. Some people might come up with 'recipe controls' which would specify just how much salt can be added to the dough.
It may sound exaggerated, but that's the way the rebel movements are playing out. The disaster of real Prohibition from 1918 to 1933 is evidence enough why these movements should be fought.
If the customer is informed, it weakens any future case that he could not know that it was harmful.
Of course, obesity is rising. Too many people are getting addicted to fast food. But nobody is force to eat it. The best way to deal with the problem is education, along with calorie-posting proposal will know that each one yields 760 calories, a third of the daily maximum calories needed for a man in a white-collar job. Everything has to be taken in moderation to maintain good health.
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