Do you know what's in that food?

I was watching a rather interesting episode of Marketplace on our CBC network (video clip on external site - be patient, the video link on the page may not work instantly, but it works). It was about how the government wanted to introduce a bill (C-283) to require restaurants to post the number of calories, the amount of sodium, and the sum of saturated plus trans fats per serving in standard menu items. Single restaurants, small chains and non-standard menu items are would be exempt. The bill was defeated because government members were convinced by the restaurant industry that something voluntary was already being done. But it's a scam. Marketplace talked to the head of the Canadian Rsetaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA) and challenged them on their insistence in defeating the bill rather than trying to modify it to make it more flexible. They spun a lot of fancy words and insisted that their members voluntarily provide this information, but the show's investigators did not find that this was true at all. Almost every excuse they came up with was argued successfully by the show's host, Wendy Mesley. The show really helped highlight why the bill was introduced in the first place - restaurant patrons grossly underestimate the fat, salt and caloric content of restaurant foods. In many of the examples the CBC show aired, consumers were shocked to find out that actual caloric content was in some cases triple what they had guessed. Even when Wendy tried to show the head of the CRFA how simple it was to add basic nutritional information to the menu of a national chain, he balked and kept arguing that their own measures were enough....... which, based on my own experiences.... they are not.

Although the CRFA argue (full argument here) that it is impossible to account for the variations in a menu item's preparations because of lack of standardization, a starting reference point would be helpful, especially for folks trying to watch their sodium intake - because my friends - you would be shocked to learn how much sodium goes into some menu items in various foods in national chains. They don't seem to think that's a problem. They claim that in some cases, you can get information on a restaurant's web site. Yeah...... that's really helpful when you're sitting at the table with a menu in front of your face.

Don't get me wrong - I love the restaurant industry. They get more of my money than the average consumer. Which is why I'd really like to know just what the hell I'm putting in my mouth every time I order that lovely Creamy Chicken Alfredo at Joey's.

Link to Tom Wappel's speech about the bill (he was the one who introduced it).