NYC Requiring Certain Restaurants to Post Calorie Counts on Menus
 

...the trouble is, the requirement only applies to restaurants that already make nutrition info available in stores or online. Can anyone think of a regulation that would provide a stronger incentive for restaurants to not publish nutrition information at all than this one? Read the story here.

If anything supports Henry Hazlitt's theory that people only consider the immediate effects of their actions, silly regulations like this are it. The obvious incentive here is for companies that currently provide nutrition information, companies that are doing right by letting their customers know what is in their food, to stop providing such information at all so that they will not be required to post it on their menus.

Re: NYC Requiring Certain Restaurants to Post Calorie Counts on Menus
 

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... The obvious incentive here is for companies that currently provide nutrition information, companies that are doing right by letting their customers know what is in their food, to stop providing such information at all so that they will not be required to post it on their menus.

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You are assuming that they are "doing right" voluntarily. The code is targeted at fast food restaurants. Do you know when and why fast food restaurants began to make their nutrition/calorie information public?

Re: NYC Requiring Certain Restaurants to Post Calorie Counts on Menus
 

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... The obvious incentive here is for companies that currently provide nutrition information, companies that are doing right by letting their customers know what is in their food, to stop providing such information at all so that they will not be required to post it on their menus.

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You are assuming that they are "doing right" voluntarily. The code is targeted at fast food restaurants. Do you know when and why fast food restaurants began to make their nutrition/calorie information public?

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No I do not, though I assume they did so voluntarily after consultation with their customers. Do you know why and when they began doing so?

BTW, MSNBC reported back in March that Quiznos, Wendy's, and White Castle removed nutrition information from stores and/or their websites in response to this regulation.

Re: NYC Requiring Certain Restaurants to Post Calorie Counts on Menus
 

This is beyond annoying. I'd like to be able to research what I'm eating, there should be no requirement for them to disclose it on their menu.

Re: NYC Requiring Certain Restaurants to Post Calorie Counts on Menus
 

[x] Food fascism

Re: NYC Requiring Certain Restaurants to Post Calorie Counts on Menus
 

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[x] Food fascism

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I think that the obvious answer is that government should nationalize food production and distribution. This would fix all of the problems.

Re: NYC Requiring Certain Restaurants to Post Calorie Counts on Menus
 

[ QUOTE ]
...the trouble is, the requirement only applies to restaurants that already make nutrition info available in stores or online. Can anyone think of a regulation that would provide a stronger incentive for restaurants to not publish nutrition information at all than this one? Read the story here.

If anything supports Henry Hazlitt's theory that people only consider the immediate effects of their actions, silly regulations like this are it. The obvious incentive here is for companies that currently provide nutrition information, companies that are doing right by letting their customers know what is in their food, to stop providing such information at all so that they will not be required to post it on their menus.

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im not so against laws like this.

this is a reasonable means of fraud and litigation prevention by forcing contracts to be more explicit.

Re: NYC Requiring Certain Restaurants to Post Calorie Counts on Menus
 

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[ QUOTE ]
...the trouble is, the requirement only applies to restaurants that already make nutrition info available in stores or online. Can anyone think of a regulation that would provide a stronger incentive for restaurants to not publish nutrition information at all than this one? Read the story here.

If anything supports Henry Hazlitt's theory that people only consider the immediate effects of their actions, silly regulations like this are it. The obvious incentive here is for companies that currently provide nutrition information, companies that are doing right by letting their customers know what is in their food, to stop providing such information at all so that they will not be required to post it on their menus.

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im not so against laws like this.

this is a reasonable means of fraud and litigation prevention by forcing contracts to be more explicit.

[/ QUOTE ]

bingo. Fast food companies started posting menus and calorie information after one of the early "fast food causes obesity" suits (as I recall against KFC or one of the big chicken chains). Those that have a history of posting the information and withdrawing it would seem to be at greater litigation risk than if they had never posted it.

Re: NYC Requiring Certain Restaurants to Post Calorie Counts on Menus
 

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[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
...the trouble is, the requirement only applies to restaurants that already make nutrition info available in stores or online. Can anyone think of a regulation that would provide a stronger incentive for restaurants to not publish nutrition information at all than this one? Read the story here.

If anything supports Henry Hazlitt's theory that people only consider the immediate effects of their actions, silly regulations like this are it. The obvious incentive here is for companies that currently provide nutrition information, companies that are doing right by letting their customers know what is in their food, to stop providing such information at all so that they will not be required to post it on their menus.

[/ QUOTE ]

im not so against laws like this.

this is a reasonable means of fraud and litigation prevention by forcing contracts to be more explicit.

[/ QUOTE ]

bingo. Fast food companies started posting menus and calorie information after one of the early "fast food causes obesity" suits (as I recall against KFC or one of the big chicken chains). Those that have a history of posting the information and withdrawing it would seem to be at greater litigation risk than if they had never posted it.

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Clearly the management of Quiznos, Wendy's, and White Castle disagreed with you. That is to say, they determined they would lose more earnings by posting the calorie counts on their menus more highly than they would spend defending against a lawsuit. In the end the establishment of this regulation caused consumers to have less information about the food they were eating, which is a result directly contrary to the stated aims of the NYC Health Department.

Re: NYC Requiring Certain Restaurants to Post Calorie Counts on Menus
 

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[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
...the trouble is, the requirement only applies to restaurants that already make nutrition info available in stores or online. Can anyone think of a regulation that would provide a stronger incentive for restaurants to not publish nutrition information at all than this one? Read the story here.

If anything supports Henry Hazlitt's theory that people only consider the immediate effects of their actions, silly regulations like this are it. The obvious incentive here is for companies that currently provide nutrition information, companies that are doing right by letting their customers know what is in their food, to stop providing such information at all so that they will not be required to post it on their menus.

[/ QUOTE ]

im not so against laws like this.

this is a reasonable means of fraud and litigation prevention by forcing contracts to be more explicit.

[/ QUOTE ]

bingo. Fast food companies started posting menus and calorie information after one of the early "fast food causes obesity" suits (as I recall against KFC or one of the big chicken chains). Those that have a history of posting the information and withdrawing it would seem to be at greater litigation risk than if they had never posted it.

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Clearly the management of Quiznos, Wendy's, and White Castle disagreed with you. That is to say, they determined they would lose more earnings by posting the calorie counts on their menus more highly than they would spend defending against a lawsuit. In the end the establishment of this regulation caused consumers to have less information about the food they were eating, which is a result directly contrary to the stated aims of the NYC Health Department.

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That may have been their assessment, but it is also shortsighted. Its not very hard to expand the code to all fast food restaurants, whether or not they otherwise post them. There are also a dozen or so other cities addressing the issue.

If companies dont voluntarily comply, they will face forced compliance.