Most Americans Support Calorie Listings in Restaurants
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Digital Vision/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — The food and restaurant industry might not like it but the public overwhelming supports the FDA’s new rules, making it mandatory for chain restaurants and vending machine operators to display calories counts on menu items.
That’s according to 1,100 adults surveyed by WebMD. Although only slightly more than half had actually seen the information on menus, eight in ten who had calorie counts, gave it a thumbs up.
While three-quarters of all respondents believe calorie counts are beneficial in helping them making healthy choices, 56 percent were admittedly surprised that the count totals were higher than expected.
Those surveyed by WebMD said they ate outside the home an average of twice a week with fast food restaurants the most popular choice.
In places where people have seen calories listed, fast food restaurants such as McDonald’s leads the way, followed by casual dining spots like Applebee’s and then, fast-casual restaurants that include Panera Bread.
Fine dining restaurants trailed the pack with just 23 percent of respondents noticing any calorie listings.
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