MENU CALORIES

What starts in New York or California often spreads over a period of years across the United States, then into Europe and many other countries around the world. Menu calories were introduced as a requirement for New York restaurants in March 2008. California followed last month. National US legislation is now being considered. There is no doubt why they could be worthwhile. The world is becoming more obese. This is bad for health and expensive to tackle. Consumers typically underestimate the calories in restaurant foods. So more information should help curb excess. Will it work ? A bit, probably, over time. Restaurant occasions are more about leisure than education. But the media will highlight the worst cases, teachers will alert kids and kids will challenge parents. The same could well be the case with menu miles, though this is more likely to continue as a voluntary fad for longer. As fuel prices rise, people will become more conscious of the environmental cost of food miles. Opinion leading restaurants will add menu miles to show how much or how little their food and wine have travelled to reach us. At least there’s more space on a menu than a small label. It may take some of the fun away from an evening out, but it will also add a lot to talk about and act on.