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So, you know that moment where “Peter Pan” stopped being a clueless, ageless man-boy and was forced to admit people have to grow up? Well, prepare to grow up — there are calories in fast food. Shaken a bit? Yeah, me too.
Thanks to a new law that forces fast food chains to publish nutritional information on their food packages, I feel just as confused as I did when I realized money doesn’t grow on trees and Santa doesn’t exist.
Fast food has always seemed like one of those things you get as much out of as you put into it. Since there is so little time, effort and money put into procuring fast food, it never occurred to me there were real repercussions to a chicken nugget.
It would be stupid of me to say I never thought fast food was unhealthy or that it was somehow not bad for me, but because there wasn’t always that glaring monochrome chart judging me every time I lifted a fry to my mouth, I never put fast food into the same category as real food.
This is the reason for the new law forcing restaurants to publish the nutritional information for customers.
The new law states food chains with 20 or more locations must provide information to customers about meals, including calories, total fat and other nutritional information. This even includes drive-thru menus so people on the go don’t have to wait until they get to the window to find out about the nutritional value of what they just ordered.
It was put into place in July of this year following similar laws implemented in individual cities such as San Francisco and New York. It seems as though it may become common practice across the U.S. because as many as 10 other states are putting similar bills through legislation that follow similar guidelines.
Fast food companies are doing their best to throw this sort of legislation into the deep fryer, despite support from both political sides and numerous special interest groups.
Representatives for the companies are saying this will open doors for lawsuits and could potentially raise prices from the cost of implementation.
But I have to wonder, for companies under siege for leading customers blindly into waistband suicide, is it really a good idea to publicize that you’re more interested in protecting your own assets than informing your patrons?
Can I get a number “No,” with a side of “Duh?”
The dangers of fast food come from not knowing what’s inside your special sauce — or any other part of that greasy burger.
There are several Web sites that have revealed fast food portions sizes for what they are, such as Chowbaby.com and thecaloriecounter.com.
Because fast food companies are doing their best to keep this sort of information out of the hands and minds of their customers, fast food buyers have been unaware of what they were really putting into their mouths and arteries.
If their customers become educated, fast food chains are the ones that are going to be in danger. Even I — who has a self-confessed dependency on Taco Bell — realize that 15 minutes of meal consumption is costing me 45 minutes extra burn time on the treadmill.
I think now that I have to stare my fatty future in the face, I’ve seen the light of the heat lamp, and it burns.
Some people may feel more comfortable avoiding the back of the fry box as they chow down and I totally understand the desire to keep your shame face separate from your meal place. But you should look at what you’re eating a little more closely whether it’s during your meal or when you get home and find some time in front of the computer.
You may change your mind mid-burger about how much you want to eat when you know how much you’re actually getting.
Joanna Hass can be reached at
jhass@theorion.com
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