My husband and I were traveling this weekend to attend a family friend’s wedding. We had a layover in Philadelphia, and while there we stopped into an Au Bon Pain. You’ve probably been in one before – soups, salads, sandwiches, coffee, and bakery goods. In this one, the self-serve bakery case took up one entire wall. As I walked into the store, I saw a woman standing in front of the case. She wheeled her suitcase from one end to the other and back again no fewer than three times. Three times! She hadn’t selected anything, and honestly she looked a little frantic. She looked at me, wide-eyed, pointing to the case, and said, “They put the CALORIE COUNTS next to each item! By every one of them! I started out by the cookies and worked my way down there and by the end of the case I was at pastries that were more than 500 calories each! I came back to the cookies but now I think maybe I should just leave. That’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to just leave. I’ve gotta get out of here.” And she left!
Restaurant industry executives, if you are wondering if prominently posting calorie counts on menu items will help people make healthier choices, I offer this as Exhibit A.
Are there times when a 500 calorie pastry is a worth-every-yummy-morsel indulgence? I certainly think so! But I’m intrigued by how more transparent communication of nutrition information can help to influence consumer behavior. Menu labeling? Bring it on.
I agree with you. Not having a treet because of the calorie count being displayed is defeating the reason for a good treat. Use it as a tool to help you make choices in the treats you do enjoy….and I do mean enjoy. I usually go for anything Choclate but as I have gotten older, and my bodie reacts differently to the food choices I make, I’ve had to think about which treats I should have. Having the calorie count or maybe even the carb count visible can help me choose which treat I “will” have.
Good build – it would be even better if we had more complete nutrition info available since sometimes things that are very good for you are high in calories (e.g. salmon) and sometimes things that are low in calories are actually bereft of nutritional value!
Further build…then if people start to choose the more healthy option more often, then that demand will cause the food industry to offer even more healthy choices!