Should Americans have the right to know how many calories they are consuming when they eat out? Would it have an impact on their meal choice? Would it help America’s growing obesity problem? All these questions were considered in great depth when the Supreme Court made its decision to pass a law that all restaurants with over 20 locations are required to list calories on their menus or drive-thru menu boards. McDonalds is known for its greasy fries and tasty burgers, which makes people come back for more, but the real issue is if people would still be doing this if they knew exactly how many calories were in the meals they were digesting. McDonalds has taken a jump start on the new law and has already begun posting calories on its menus. In my opinion this is going to have a positive effect on Americans because of the amount of influence McDonalds has on the eating patterns that are taking place within our country.
People choose McDonalds because they want something easy and quick without the hassle, and many times the lack of nutrition in the meal is completely forgotten. There are, however, some objections to the idea of posting calories visible to the consumer when ordering the food. Opponents of the law state that McDonalds is the most affordable option, which immediately overpowers the health aspect of their meal. The cost of food in our society is flawed because many of the healthy products are more expensive, which prohibits lower class citizens to have a chance at eating properly. These citizens claim that McDonalds can feed the entire family without hurting their banking account dramatically, so in their opinion they have no choice. Some of the companies including McDonalds are also a little distraught due to the new law because they believe it is against the First Amendment. The companies object to the idea of being forced to give out all their nutritional information because it is said that Americans have a right to freedom of speech. They believe this law violates their freedom by taking away some of their rights. However, McDonalds decided to go along with the law without fighting it for the possible benefit of its consumers. With over 46 million McDonald customers a day, I personally think the listing of calories will help some consumers, but not necessarily all. This will assist them to become more aware of what they are eating, therefore persuading them to tweak their meals to make them healthier. This is a step in the right direction of changing America’s eating patterns and helping the growing obesity problem. However, it is still an individual’s choice of whether his or her choice of food is altered.
Granted, the listing of calories does not have a huge effect on the decisions the consumer makes. Nutritional information has always been posted on grocery foods, so the question is why change would occur now. There are many people that are aware, but chose to not care about their health and potential future problems. Although not all people think alike, some of them will probably dispute that the posting of calories in fast food chains will make them become more conscious of the heavy load of calories contained in each burger or fry. Becoming more aware will lead people to gradually begin to make smarter, more nutritional decisions. Some people, including myself, cannot understand how a person can continually order the same high-fat meals without having an ounce of guilt. In other companies such as Starbucks, statistics have showed that consumers that order over 250 calories per transaction have decreased their calorie intake by 26%. This is certainly a step in the right direction. If McDonalds has the same numbers, it will be proven that posting calories has been an aid to helping the growing obesity problem.
Obesity is a problem in America and it is increasingly becoming more sad and dramatic. No one said that it is impossible to eat healthy when you are out to eat, but it is definitely more difficult. The obesity problem affects all people. The most current research shows that there are three times more obesity cases in the last 30 years for children. A parent teaching his or her kids bad food choices whether it is at home and on-the-go is a continual cycle and it will never stop without help. Many people say that the government does not need to constantly control our lives and the decisions we make, but I think the slight intervention can do wondrous things. The government is there to fix our problems and wouldn’t obesity be considered a problem? US citizens need to understand that they are not trying to make us feel controlled, but are instead informing us.
People choose McDonalds because they want something easy and quick without the hassle, and many times the lack of nutrition in the meal is completely forgotten. There are, however, some objections to the idea of posting calories visible to the consumer when ordering the food. Opponents of the law state that McDonalds is the most affordable option, which immediately overpowers the health aspect of their meal. The cost of food in our society is flawed because many of the healthy products are more expensive, which prohibits lower class citizens to have a chance at eating properly. These citizens claim that McDonalds can feed the entire family without hurting their banking account dramatically, so in their opinion they have no choice. Some of the companies including McDonalds are also a little distraught due to the new law because they believe it is against the First Amendment. The companies object to the idea of being forced to give out all their nutritional information because it is said that Americans have a right to freedom of speech. They believe this law violates their freedom by taking away some of their rights. However, McDonalds decided to go along with the law without fighting it for the possible benefit of its consumers. With over 46 million McDonald customers a day, I personally think the listing of calories will help some consumers, but not necessarily all. This will assist them to become more aware of what they are eating, therefore persuading them to tweak their meals to make them healthier. This is a step in the right direction of changing America’s eating patterns and helping the growing obesity problem. However, it is still an individual’s choice of whether his or her choice of food is altered.
Granted, the listing of calories does not have a huge effect on the decisions the consumer makes. Nutritional information has always been posted on grocery foods, so the question is why change would occur now. There are many people that are aware, but chose to not care about their health and potential future problems. Although not all people think alike, some of them will probably dispute that the posting of calories in fast food chains will make them become more conscious of the heavy load of calories contained in each burger or fry. Becoming more aware will lead people to gradually begin to make smarter, more nutritional decisions. Some people, including myself, cannot understand how a person can continually order the same high-fat meals without having an ounce of guilt. In other companies such as Starbucks, statistics have showed that consumers that order over 250 calories per transaction have decreased their calorie intake by 26%. This is certainly a step in the right direction. If McDonalds has the same numbers, it will be proven that posting calories has been an aid to helping the growing obesity problem.
Obesity is a problem in America and it is increasingly becoming more sad and dramatic. No one said that it is impossible to eat healthy when you are out to eat, but it is definitely more difficult. The obesity problem affects all people. The most current research shows that there are three times more obesity cases in the last 30 years for children. A parent teaching his or her kids bad food choices whether it is at home and on-the-go is a continual cycle and it will never stop without help. Many people say that the government does not need to constantly control our lives and the decisions we make, but I think the slight intervention can do wondrous things. The government is there to fix our problems and wouldn’t obesity be considered a problem? US citizens need to understand that they are not trying to make us feel controlled, but are instead informing us.