When the Restaurant Counts the Calories Foods it Serves have, does it do a Good Job?
If the first thing you do at a restaurant when you're handed a menu is count the calories foods on it have before you make up your mind, here's some news for you. Researchers have been over the menus at several restaurant chains, and also the packaged frozen meals you find supermarkets - and would you be surprised to learn that they found that the labels on the packages and theon the menus, bore little connection to what was actually in those meals? If you're finding yourself anxiously rushing (mentally) to defend those restaurants telling yourself that it's really difficult to count every last calorie in every meal you make, think again. The FDA knows that too; it gives restaurant and frozen meal chefs a 20% window of safety. They won't be considered in violation if their actual calorie counts are within the 20% overages allowed. There were some restaurant chains in the study that actually erred on the side of caution, and only overstated the calories foods they sold had.
These were well-known restaurant chains too, like Denny's, Wendy's and Domino's. And the foods that the research chose to examine were all-American favorites, that weighed in at 500 calories or less. The grilled chicken wrap at Wendy'sthat was supposed to be 260 calories, had 30% more; a serving of grits at Denny's that was supposed to be 80 calories had three times more, and at Lean Cuisine, a pasta meal had nearly 50% more than what was stated. Domino's went the other way, and carried 30% less per slice of pizza. Perhaps the 20% window that the FDA grants them isn't quite enough; these recipes aren't put together by machines; a dollop more of butter on one particular order might easily send the energy content through the roof on it. Making sure that calories foods have keep to a certain level isn't an exact science; cooking is an art after all.
And that isn't the only danger on the minefield that is known as the food business. If a manufacturer states that a package contains 4 ounces of whatever, and the inspectors find that it only contains 3 1/2, they would be called on the carpet for it. The government takes a very serious view on shortchanging customers on weight. So, manufacturers carry on the tradition of the baker's dozen - an expression from old world England, where the King had some pretty exotic punishments announced for bakers who sold less than they promised. So to be able to keep their heads, bakers would just throw in an extra loaf with every dozen sold, just to err on the side of caution. Just to make sure that no one can ever accuse them of selling people short, packaged food companies throw in a little extra in each package. This might save them from the wrath of the food shortchanging committee, but when it sends the calorie count up, they will find themselves in trouble again. And an additional problem in keeping a handle on the calories foods contain, comes from the concept of the free side dish at restaurants. The side dishes can often contain more calories than the main entre itself. And often, it doesn't get counted.
Basically, businesses keep serious and on the level, if the government requires them to; things seem to be shaping up for that in the ready-made foods business.
If the first thing you do at a restaurant when you're handed a menu is count the calories foods on it have before you make up your mind, here's some news for you. Researchers have been over the menus at several restaurant chains, and also the packaged frozen meals you find supermarkets - and would you be surprised to learn that they found that the labels on the packages and theon the menus, bore little connection to what was actually in those meals? If you're finding yourself anxiously rushing (mentally) to defend those restaurants telling yourself that it's really difficult to count every last calorie in every meal you make, think again. The FDA knows that too; it gives restaurant and frozen meal chefs a 20% window of safety. They won't be considered in violation if their actual calorie counts are within the 20% overages allowed. There were some restaurant chains in the study that actually erred on the side of caution, and only overstated the calories foods they sold had.
These were well-known restaurant chains too, like Denny's, Wendy's and Domino's. And the foods that the research chose to examine were all-American favorites, that weighed in at 500 calories or less. The grilled chicken wrap at Wendy'sthat was supposed to be 260 calories, had 30% more; a serving of grits at Denny's that was supposed to be 80 calories had three times more, and at Lean Cuisine, a pasta meal had nearly 50% more than what was stated. Domino's went the other way, and carried 30% less per slice of pizza. Perhaps the 20% window that the FDA grants them isn't quite enough; these recipes aren't put together by machines; a dollop more of butter on one particular order might easily send the energy content through the roof on it. Making sure that calories foods have keep to a certain level isn't an exact science; cooking is an art after all.
And that isn't the only danger on the minefield that is known as the food business. If a manufacturer states that a package contains 4 ounces of whatever, and the inspectors find that it only contains 3 1/2, they would be called on the carpet for it. The government takes a very serious view on shortchanging customers on weight. So, manufacturers carry on the tradition of the baker's dozen - an expression from old world England, where the King had some pretty exotic punishments announced for bakers who sold less than they promised. So to be able to keep their heads, bakers would just throw in an extra loaf with every dozen sold, just to err on the side of caution. Just to make sure that no one can ever accuse them of selling people short, packaged food companies throw in a little extra in each package. This might save them from the wrath of the food shortchanging committee, but when it sends the calorie count up, they will find themselves in trouble again. And an additional problem in keeping a handle on the calories foods contain, comes from the concept of the free side dish at restaurants. The side dishes can often contain more calories than the main entre itself. And often, it doesn't get counted.
Basically, businesses keep serious and on the level, if the government requires them to; things seem to be shaping up for that in the ready-made foods business.