When the healthy option is more profitable than it is healthy
As part of the Government of Ontario’s Healthy Menu Choices Act, calorie counts are making appearances on menus around the province.
Effective as of Jan. 1, 2017, “All food-service chains with 20 or more locations in Ontario must now post the number of calories in the food and drink items they sell,” according to the Government of Ontario’s website.
This includes both food service chains as well as cafeterias open to the public. In other words: fast-food joints, restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, grocery stores, and movie theatres will now list calories on their menus, menu boards, tags or labels when food and drinks are on display, and on signs near buffets.
In addition to calories, businesses must also post one of two statements.
The first option is: “Adults and youth (ages 13 and older) need an average of 2,000 calories a day, and children (ages 4 to 12) need an average of 1,500 calories a day. However, individual needs vary.”
The second option is: “The average adult requires approximately 2,000 to 2,400 calories per day. However, individual calorie needs may vary.”
The Government of Ontario’s website explains its decision to include calories in a fairly superficial way that makes it almost seem as if the government is concerned that Ontarians aren’t getting enough calories.
“We need calories every day to fuel our basic body functions and physical activity. We eat and drink to get this energy, which is measured in calories. Knowing how many calories are in our food and drinks is part of getting the right amount of energy we need every day,” according to the Government of Ontario’s website.
Of course, the reason to include calorie counts in these new ways is to keep everyone at a healthy weight and prevent conditions that are linked to obesity such as heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, some cancers, gallbladder disease, gallstones, osteoarthritis, gout, and breathing problems.
Regardless of how likely it is that this change will actually reduce healthcare costs, it still looks to the health of our society, which everyone can agree is an important cause. And yet, the notion of “the right amount,” sadly, also carries the subtext of “less” in our society.
My concern is how this will impact those who are already struggling with maintaining a positive relationship with food.
As a woman of an average weight who grew up quite underweight, I still remember crying in front of my whole family when I stopped being underweight in high school. In between sobs I looked to my mother and said the words, “Now I’m fat.” I had no idea where it was coming from even as I said it, but of course, it comes from subtle messages everywhere we look.
So yes, while including calories on menus of eateries that people are generally visiting may help us all make low-cal choices, we should remain unconvinced that “low-cal choices” are the same as “healthy choices.”
From this perspective, the Healthy Menu Choices Act begins to look slightly less noble. Our society has, once again, placed physical health before mental wellness.
The Government of Ontario’s website also explains that, “Nutritional information, including calories, is already available on the labels of many items we buy at the grocery store. Of course, we also buy food when we’re out and about—getting takeout, meeting friends for dinner, or stopping for a treat on the way home with our family. That’s why information about calories is now available on menus in restaurants and other food service businesses.”
This last bit is particularly grating. Of course nutritional information is included on items at the grocery store, but to equate calories to nutrition is preposterous in its oversimplification. For example, an avocado has 322 calories, while a small order of fries from a fast food place has 222 calories—by this logic an avocado is less nutritious than fries.
A better option to displaying calories would be giving people menu guidance through government-approved healthy options that actually take into account a variety of factors that contribute to nutrition—as opposed to an empty marketing campaign.
As a consumer, I initially felt it was helpful to see the calories on menus because I have educated myself about food and nutrition and find that having the calories on the menu is a quick reference guide for me when I’m in a hurry. But, the more I thought about it, and the more I came across the calories, I can honestly say that, despite my knowledge, I was starting to lean towards the option with less calories (a pepperoni pizza slice) even if it meant it had no vegetables on it (a deluxe pizza slice).
For all of these reasons, the inclusion of calories on menus seems most likely to make us less healthy as a society—albeit in different ways.
Cover photo by Mariah Bridgeman/The Ontarion.