The murky math of calorie counting

In California and elsewhere, public health advocates are battling the restaurant industry over the passage of regulations requiring chain restaurants to post calorie counts on their menu boards. The restaurant industry's counter-arguments are crassly self-interested, particularly when they include torturous claims of 1st Amendment violations. Nonetheless, it is worth questioning whether posting calorie counts will in fact prompt people to avoid nutrient-poor, energy-dense foods.

By Carol Hart

August 8, 2008