Knowing what’s in the food we eat is very important to both my husband and me. I read nutrition labels in the supermarket and look up online what I need to know to keep us healthy.
Now there is a great debate about putting nutrition labels, or at least calorie amounts either on the menu or at the table for us to look at. Some restaurants comply and others don’t. The question comes up, is it a good move or a bad business decision to do this?
Usefulness
Illnesses: If you have a chronic disease such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, diabetes or kidney problems, this information is crucial. Many with these conditions keep a calculator going to know if they are nearing their limits for such things as sugar, sodium and even protein.
Weight Watching: Some of us are struggling to gain control of our weight. It’s difficult enough when food is served on a turkey platter. Knowing the number of calories in a dish is vital. We do keep score, as the idea behind weight loss is to eat less than you burn.
Athletes: Those seriously interested in any sport usually want to make sure that the nutrition they get is adequate, that they are consuming enough calories and that the meal is balanced. That’s hard to do without nutrition information.
Will Anyone Use it?
First off, I can tell you two people who do; both my husband and I use it. In fact, there are times we choose a restaurant based on the fact that we know we can get the information we need right at the table. I just recently found out that we are not alone.
An article on the MSNBC website states that one in six people change what they order based on nutrition information provided at the table. That’s roughly 17% of diners. This doesn’t count the people who find what they want to eat simply by looking at the figures, which is what I do.
In my opinion, restaurants that provide this information are going to find that their businesses increase rather than decrease. This will be especially true if they work at finding tasty, light menu items. We go out to breakfast once a week and several of our favorite places have done this. I can promise you, they are good. Hopefully, this finding will encourage more places to both provide the information and find light counterparts.