The Fracas Over Menu Labeling

I'm just appalled at the behavior of Dr. David B. Allison, the incoming president of the Obesity Society, a leading organization of obesity doctors and scientists. In a NYT article about New York City's new rules requiring chain restaurants to post calorie counts alongside menu items, he was quoted as saying that they could backfire and cause obese customers to actually eat more. What? Why would a doctor and figurehead for such a prominent organization make such a claim? Isn't he supposed to be part of the solution, not part of the problem? Um, money. Unfortunately, he is also a consultant to the New York Restaurant Association and was paid by them to write a 33-page affidavit detailing studies showing how, under certain circumstances, diners with information about the high calorie content of their food might actually eat more. The New York Restaurant Association is suing NYC to block the new rules.

Who supports calorie labeling on menus? The Obesity Society. What? Yes, the very organization that will soon have Dr. Allison as its president stated that "more information on the caloric content of restaurant servings, not less, is in the interest of consumers." I wonder if the board is rethinking his new position? Other supporters include the usual cast of characters that weigh in on topics like this: Public Citizen, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Diabetes Association, and the American Heart Association.

And what about the rest of the population that is simply calorie conscious? Don't we represent an important component if not the great preponderance of diners? Given the choice between a 700 calorie dinner menu item and a 1,300 calorie item, we can intelligently make a choice that suits our needs. We can also ask if something can be substituted or left out of the higher calorie item to lower the calorie count. I think the FDA calls that being an "informed consumer". We used that argument when we asked the head of food service to add calorie counts to the school lunch menu. No dice. I might have to move back to New York. On second thought, I'll just keep making my kid's lunch.

Shame on anyone who tries to inhibit the free flow of information necessary for consumers to make informed decisions about the food they eat!