Due to recent changes to health policy, large chain restaurants are now required to post calorie counts for certain menu items. The idea is to give consumers a better idea of what they are consuming, especially if they are dining at fast food establishments that tend to sell some of the least-healthy food options. While this is being hailed as a step in the right direction, it may not be enough.
A recent article on 2 Minute Medicine floats a new idea: What if menu labels not only included calorie counts, but also had estimates of the required physical activity needed to burn those calories?
The news source claims that such a move would be even more effective, because it would allow consumers to see, with their own eyes, the consequences of purchasing and consuming too many calories. Initial studies show that when presented with this information, consumers did, in fact, order fewer calories.
On this blog, we’ve already discussed the possibility of tailoring food labels to different markets. However, including physical activity calorie equivalent (PACE) standards would go even further.
Of course, this would require a fairly significant overhaul to the way that labels are printed — in addition to the recent changes that have already taken place in this industry. But by using a color label printer, restaurants can create informative labels that will still allow them to remain in compliance with any additional regulatory changes that may come their way. Don’t settle for third-party label printers when there is a better way.