Just three days before Thanksgiving, the FDA issued two Final Rules requiring caloric content on menus and food from vending machines. While the Rules go into effect in a year for menu items and 2 years for food from vending machines, release of the Final Rule just before the holiday makes me cringe. Imagine my wife having to place the 5000 calorie banner on our Thanksgiving dinner. The 25 people attending our feast this year would likely walk out!
The Rule applies to chains with 20 or more locations and vending companies having 20 or more vending machines. I used to frequent the Cheesecake Factory until they voluntarily started putting the calorie count of each dish on their menus. When I saw that my favorite dish had 3200 calories, I almost choked! And that certainly stopped me from having a slice of cheesecake for dessert. Now I have to take a 30 mile bike ride and do 300 sit ups before I can walk in the door.
The Final Rules (and this is no Thanksgiving joke) and more information on them can be found here. While this piece has been a bit tongue in cheek, I just don’t have the stomach for not saying Happy Thanksgiving to all of our readers! Don’t be a turkey and enjoy the holiday and I wish you safe travels. We will see you after the food coma abates.
