According to New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, more than half of New Yorkers are overweight. So officials believe requiring restaurant chains to list the calorie content of their entrees will prevent 150,000 New Yorkers from becoming obese and will stop another 30,000 from developing diabetes and other health concerns over the next five years.

Of course, they are wrong; the premise is all wrong.  Forcing restaurants to convey the government’s message on calories will do absolutely nothing to stop obesity or diabetes except in those individuals who are concerned about their health problems and already working to reverse them. It’s definitely not the government’s business to regulate personal weight or health issues.

Nevertheless, U.S. District Judge Richard Holwell thought it seemed reasonable to expect that consumers would “use the information disclosed ... to select lower calorie meals ... and these choices will lead to a lower incidence of obesity." (One wonders just how familiar he is with human nature in general.)

The requirement goes into effect on April 21 for those establishments or chains that have 15 or more branches. It doesn’t apply to individual restaurants – yet.  Fines for non-compliance will begin on June 3. There’s always revenue to be gained, isn’t there?

(For those who are wondering, “mental hygiene” has nothing to do with cleanliness of the mind. It is defined as the branch of psychiatry concerned with psychological methods.)
 

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