Not everyone is dieting to lose weight, but when they go out to eat, they face a lot of nutritional snafus that would otherwise be known when cooking at home. A pasta cream sauce, a breaded-and-fried meat dish, or even a salad dressing can be a huge gamble to one’s overall health, let alone to those who are on strict health diets. Those working in the food industry are notorious for adding extra butter and otherwise unwanted calories for the sake of enhancing a food’s flavor. A study reported by the Orlando Sentinel found that expert dietitians miscalculated calorie counts of restaurant entrees by 200-600 calories per item! With overweight population percentages approaching 70 percent in the USA, lawmakers and food industry veterans alike are at a loss if disclosing caloric information effects consumer behavior, but this rift in opinion is precisely at the core of a new food lawmaking fight.
Photo: L.A. Times