Just watched the CNBC interview with Marion Nestle, and couldn’t agree with her more.

Of course it comes down to what choices individuals make on a day to day basis, and genetics (as well as some acute and chronic illnesses)  aside, we are all responsible for the status of our own health. An essential part of  improving public health and fighting the rise of obesity, diabetes, etc is giving people the TOOLS for making these healthful choices. The Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of the early 1990’s was the first step. Restaurant and menu labeling is merely providing similar information to consumers so they can make informed choices.

It remains to be seen what the best method for displaying this information will be. I was recently in an airline terminal where a national chain had listed calories on their menu board for all to see, next to the prices. It was poorly done and hard to read, but apparently they had fulfulled their legal responsibility.

I would like to see complete nutrition information posted, perhaps in a poster form , easily accessable with more than just calories: sat fat, trans fat, & sodium information  to start with, since we all know that calorie data is just the beginning of what we need to know.

Wendy Hess, RD, CDE

Consulting in Nutrition Analysis

Welltech Bistro