PUBLIC FORUM: Q&A.

Useless information

Consumers now have the most information about food and nutrition, and yet they keep getting fatter. Clearly, education is not the answer to the obesity problem. People eat high-fat, high-calorie items because they like the way those foods taste.

And spare us the studies touting that "informed" customers order meals with 52 fewer calories. Does anyone really believe that someone considering a 1,360-calorie chicken-fajita omelet is going to avoid obesity by scarfing down just 1,308 calories at that meal instead?

-- LINDA BLANKENSHIP

Reseda

Fair warning

Since literally every restaurant chain that would be impacted by this bill already has this nutritional information, and there is a reasonable phase-in time, I think the burden to business is negligible. Granted, the restaurant chains will gnash their teeth and prophesy their imminent demise, but that's been corporate America's response to any regulation (seat belts, cigarette labels, alcohol warnings, etc.).

-- MICHAEL MILLER 

Martinez

Let us decide

Nutritional information should be available and listed on the menu. If most people knew the caloric and fat content of their food, they would make a more healthy choice. The problem is, the information isn't available, so they don't even realize what they are consuming. At least give us the information, and let us decide.

-- KERRY TABAK

Santa Clarita 

The conflicted child-proofer

The capitalist in me says there is no need for legislation and it is unfair to the larger corporations. If a consumer wants the health information and his restaurant does not provide it, he can eat elsewhere.

The Darwinian in me says if there are lazy and dumb people becoming obese and dying young because they were too stupid to realize that fast food is not healthy food, it means the remaining gene pool is getting better!

The pragmatist in me says the legislation will save lives and lower medical costs, and that might save me money with potentially lower health-insurance rates.

Passing laws to protect stupid people from themselves is like child-proofing a room; the more you do it, the more you see what needs to be done!

-- RUSSELL SACKS

Santa Clarita

If it works for New York ...

I think that Californians should have the same access to information as New Yorkers. The fact that big chains have already done the nutritional analysis and created new menus and menu boards means that many of the arguments these restaurants use against SB 1420 go away. The new menu boards can simply be shipped out here.

Some day we will think all this debate over providing nutritional information on menus was silly. When is the last time you heard someone say that packaged food labels were silly or a burden to business?

-- "AMANDA"

Sacramento

via dailynews.com

Ruining a night out

It seems to me that dining out should be a relaxing, enjoyable experience. We have enough stress in our lives that we don't need the additional worry about every single calorie. In our family, going out to lunch or dinner is a fun treat. And something we don't do every day.

If I have to agonize about ordering from the menu, worry about every bite of food, and feel guilty about what choice I made -- well, there goes the enjoyment.

In our home we are calorie-conscious. Dining out, not so much. At least we never order dessert!

-- JANET BALLIN

Canyon Country

Target fat in the budget first

Menu-labeling is not going to have any effect on the obesity crisis. Currently, most restaurants will supply nutrition information on their menus when asked. Some even have the data printed on brochure handouts. Having the nutrition information on menus is not going to change the ingrained dietary habits of overeaters. How much better if our state legislators would do the job they're elected to do. Right now, that should be passing a budget by cutting excessive spending.

-- ELLIE DOUD

Van Nuys