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Provide Nutritional info!

scruffykaz
scruffykaz Posts: 317 Member
in Social Groups
Hi all,

I find myself frustrated by food establishments which do not provide nutritional infomation. I have emailed their head offices, only to be brushed off and thanked for my email and assured that "it is something that they are looking into".

I have started a petition which regarding the above subject which can be found here:

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/44279

I would be grateful if you could sign this petition, share it on facebook and email on to any friends. I believe it is essential that nutritional information be provided by food establishment. The government bang on about obesity being a national problem. Well, it's time for them act and ensure that we have this information so that we can balance what we are eating.

Thanks for your support.

Kaz

Replies

  • HelloDan
    HelloDan Posts: 712 Member
    I agree with this concept.

    Not just for everyone wants to log every single calorie and gram of macro breakdown of what they eat, but also I think the general public have no clue how good or bad some restaurant choices are, providing information will be a step forward for education in this area.
  • teshiburu
    teshiburu Posts: 262 Member
    Which particular establishments are you referring to?
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    I disagree with the concept.

    I just go to places that DO provide this information.
  • teshiburu
    teshiburu Posts: 262 Member
    Yeah nandos, subway and the like are my preferred fast(er) food locations
  • frando
    frando Posts: 583 Member
    Although I do think clear labeling should be on all foods, at least calories is doesn't have to be a full work out.

    But I agree with IronSmasher, that instead of complaining (and definitely don't complain to the staff) opt for places that do have clear nutritional work outs. Last time I was in Subway there was calorie information on everything minus the cookies (which shocked me when I looked up on here).
  • helyg
    helyg Posts: 675 Member
    I agree that it would be much easier as a customer, but wouldn't it be very expensive for small businesses to implement?
  • HelloDan
    HelloDan Posts: 712 Member
    It's not always as simple as just choosing where to go though, for example if you're invited out by friends.

    that said, at the end of the day, if there is no info, I'm pretty good at making an educated guess as to what the contents of the meal are, and even if I'm out, it's no biggie. I do the same if at a friends house, I don't demand, or even ask for nutrition information.

    However, it would be nice if this information was freely available everywhere, and in reality it's probably more useful to people who actually have less of a clue about nutrition than myself.

    As for small business expense, I don't know, but surely you would know your raw ingredients going into each menu item, so shouldn't be that hard to calculate.
  • LilMissDB
    LilMissDB Posts: 133
    As for small business expense, I don't know, but surely you would know your raw ingredients going into each menu item, so shouldn't be that hard to calculate.

    Kind of. They might have some kind of average but in general chefs cook by feel not so much by weighing stuff out and if you are catering for multiple serves they aren't always the same size. I don't like the idea of restaurants all providing nutrition information because I think people forget that it is an estimate and could be way off... I much prefer the idea of keeping eating out as a treat rather than encouraging 'everyday use' so to speak.
  • pboroaddick
    pboroaddick Posts: 29 Member
    I have noticed that a lot of the larger chain restaurants now add the calories to the menu. Smaller establishments with ever changing menu's would find it difficult to keep adding the calorie values each day. I think that you can generally work out what the main ingredients add up to.
  • HelloDan
    HelloDan Posts: 712 Member
    Kind of. They might have some kind of average but in general chefs cook by feel not so much by weighing stuff out and if you are catering for multiple serves they aren't always the same size. I don't like the idea of restaurants all providing nutrition information because I think people forget that it is an estimate and could be way off... I much prefer the idea of keeping eating out as a treat rather than encouraging 'everyday use' so to speak.

    For sure, but this is no different to most nutritional information, for practical reasons.

    Meat, fruit or anything else is not perfectly uniform, so the information provided for these kinds of things is just an estimate. Variability will always be there, it's not likely to be hugely significant, as the recipe will most likely be generally consistent otherwise it would never taste the same.

    Remember this isn't just for people on a diet, think about other populations, such as diabetics, who would benefit from this information.

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