Do posted calorie counts make a difference?
Regardless of whether this particular bill goes anywhere, it seems likely that the trend toward giving customers more nutritional information will continue. But many wonder if these initiatives actually cause people to make healthier choices and whether obesity rates will go down in the long run in places where such information is available. The jury’s still out on that, of course, but a survey by Self magazine of 100 women in New York found that 79 percent said they liked the calorie counts, 55 percent said they changed their orders based on calorie counts and 13 percent said they’ve stopped eating at certain restaurants because of the calorie counts of menu items. The magazine also asked a few women to document specific choices they made, and while several chose lighter options because of the high counts of some of their old favorites, others rationalized 1,000-calorie burritos as an occasional treat or drank water to compensate for a 600-calorie sandwich.
