Say hello to your little friends. They’re called calories, and they might not be out of sight for much longer. Soon you may be able to pinpoint exactly how many extra hours at the gym you’ll have to put in after that fried chicken dinner you just couldn’t resist at KFC.
Enter Savvy Diner, the latest initiative from Toronto Public Health trying to combat obesity. In order to empower diners, the Savvy Diner program wants all large chain restaurants to be required to label their menus with nutritional information. Part of the issue lies in the fact that when people go out to eat, they grossly underestimate the calories and sodium present in what’s on their plates. With no way to fact-check (or, at least, no quick and easy way), diners are virtually left in the dark when it comes to the nutritional values of their favourite foods. The goal of this legislation is to allow diners around the city to make more informed choices regarding what they choose to eat, which will hopefully lead to healthier choices by consumers and eventually healthier offerings from restaurants.
This legislation is being backed by numerous organizations including Public Health Ontario and the Ontario Medical Association, so time will tell whether or not Toronto diners will continue to dine in the dark… or if they’ll get to see the high-caloric light…