FDA's New Food Label Rules Will Reveal Some Belt Poppers, Group Says
— -- intro: With the new Food and Drug Administration rules requiring food sellers to post calorie counts on menu items, consumers are in for a shock. Some of their favorite items may lead to a little more belt tightening than they realized.
And it's not just calories. Consumers also will be able to ask for other nutritional facts, and some sellers must make those available upon request.
“Menu labeling is a landmark public health policy that will help people to decide for themselves how much and what they want to eat when dining out,” said Margo G. Wootan, the director of nutrition policy for the watchdog group, Center for Science in the Public Interest. “It also will spur restaurants to think more about and improve their offerings.”
Restaurants, movie theaters, pizza parlors, amusement parks, vending machines and food trucks are all subject to the rules. Companies with 20 or more locations have a year to comply.
In the meantime, read on for seven menu items that list surprisingly high calorie counts or other nutritional surprises, according to CSPI.
quicklist: 1category:title: Chipotle: Chicken Burrito url:text: A Chipotle chicken burrito packs up to 1,020 calories, according to the company’s nutritional information. It also can contain 2,400 grams of sodium per serving, though the company noted that the item is customizable.
“Customers pick and choose exactly what goes in to their own individual order, which allows us to meet virtually any set of dietary restrictions or preferences,” said Chipotle spokesman, Chris Arnold. “While you can load up a burrito to have a lot of calories, that's not what most of our customers do.”media: 27167950
quicklist: 2category:title: Cheesecake Factory: Bistro Shrimp Pasta url:text: This dish delivers a 3,120 calories and 89 grams of saturated fat, according to the restaurant chain's website.
Alethea Rowe, a company spokeswoman, said that The Cheesecake Factory is all about choices.
"Many of our guests come in and want to celebrate and not be concerned with calories," she said. "Others want to share their dish -- and we love it when guests share; that’s a great sign that our portions are generous -- and a large percentage of our guests take home leftovers for lunch the next day."media: 27168018
quicklist: 3category:title: Five Guys: Regular French Friesurl:text: Five Guys' nutritional information shows that an order of regular fries contains 953 calories, and the large contains 1,314 calories. For a point of reference: A large order of McDonald's fries has 510 calories.
Five Guys did not immediately respond to an ABC News request for comment.media:27167804
quicklist: 4category:title: Mudslide Alcoholic Beverageurl:text: Calorie counts for prepared alcoholic beverages must also be posted. Ordering a Mudslide drink at the bar that includes ice cream, vodka and Kahlua will set you back between 700 and 1,110 calories according to the nutritional database Calorie King.
media: 27167600
quicklist: 5category:title: Uno Chicago Grill: Deep Dish 3-Cheese Macaroni url:text: Not only does this dish contain 1,980 calories, it delivers 71 grams of saturated fat and 3,110 milligrams of sodium, according to the company's nutritional information.
Uno Chicago Pizza did not immediately respond to an ABC News' request for comment.
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