USA Introduces Menu Calorie Labeling To Fight Obesity
Food outlets in the USA will soon have to display detailed calorie information on their menus, in sit down restaurants, take- out food outlets, bakery items, ice-cream from an ice-cream store and pizza, which will be labeled by the slice and whole pie (“US sets new rules on calorie info”; Straits Times, Nov 26).
Why Obesity Matters?
According to a recent study, more than 2.1 billion people globally, or nearly 30 per cent of the world’s population, are now overweight or obese, with the figure set to rise further by 2030 (“Nearly 30 per cent of world’s population is overweight: Study”; Straits Times Forum Online, Nov 21).
According to the study, obesity now costs the global economy $2 trillion
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However, there are certain ways that the Ministry of Health can consider in terms of tackling obesity in our country.
First, for example: similar to the new rules which will be implemented soon in USA, for a start, nutritional information such as calories from food, cholesterol, sugars and protein, can be displayed clearly on all food and drinks items in the menu in fast food chains such as McDonalds, KFC and Burger King etc.
This information should also be made available on all menus in restaurants and cafes in hotels, as our country is visited by a lot of tourists daily, whose main accommodation is hotels. In fact, a lot of them do dine at least 2 meals in the hotel, such as breakfast and dinner; and sometimes brunch on Sundays; and the daily calories intake can certainly be exceeded when they are not careful. This is especially serious in special occasions such as Thanksgiving, Xmas Eve and Christmas dinners.
Second, parents should set a good example for their children when dining at home or in restaurants. For instance, it is not going to do any good if they insist on their children finishing the serving of vegetables on their plates each meal, but they themselves are seen finishing the high calorie and oily items such as French fries and