Food Warnings

I feel compelled to quote and archive the following news article I read recently.

Plans were outlined in the Cabinet Office report detailing the UK's food strategy for the 21st century. The report, backed by Premier Gordon Brown, outlines far-reaching plans to improve the nation's diet. The document examines rising obesity rates, spiralling prices and the problem of millions of tons of good food going to waste.

Restaurants in the UK face demands to change their menus and put health warnings on meals in the hope of improving the national diet.

Firms may also have to identify the 'carbon footprint' of their dishes, possibly listing those items that are airfreighted to Britain.

Diners could soon find more interesting information on menus......
Fast food outlets, curry houses, kebab shops and even Michelin-starred restaurants will be given guidelines on how to deliver healthy food.
They will be required to list the amount of fat, saturated fat, salt and sugar included in items on the menu. Britain could follow New York which has brought in laws requiring chain restaurants to list the calorific value of their dishes.
Restaurants may even be asked to follow the 'traffic light' system of red, amber and green logos on dishes, which is seen on many supermarket ready-meals.
The Cabinet Office report recommends that the food served by public bodies, from prisons to Army barracks and hospitals, should meet minimum nutrition standards.
It says the Food Standards Agency will be expected to ensure restaurants deliver healthier dishes.
Recent studies have warned that single take-away meals such as curries or Chinese dishes can include more saturated fat than an adult should eat in an entire day.
Similarly, the sandwiches and cappuccinos served in High Street sandwich chains can contain huge amounts of fat and sugar.

Changes in eating patterns would bring huge health gains here in the UK as it would reduce health costs due to poor dietary habits.It also hopes to reduce the incidence of lifestyle and food related diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and hypertension
It is well accepted that the economic burdens of diet-related ill health are huge - £6billion in additional NHS costs alone each year.

The hotels and restaurants will not like it if the government were to impose such regulations.In Malaysia,that would increase the prices of dining out and could put many food handlers out of business.

That brings us to the question of choice. Before anybody add more regulations to our favorite national pastime of eating around the clock, we have to decide whether we want to live a longer healthier life or we prefer to continue living your life in oblivious indulgence?