So, the new regulations that require businesses to label their food with a calorie count, along with a reminder that I only need 2000 of them a day.
Sounds like a good idea. I like data.
The problem is the exemptions are a bit baffling, to say the least.
I could walk into a pub, order a large meal, with dessert, then supplement that with a few packets of peanuts, chocolate bars, several pints of lager, a coke, and a few shots of whiskey.
I won't get a warning about calories because they employ less than 250 people.
The same order, in a Wetherspoons, and I would get a warning about the calorie content of the meal and the dessert, and the coke, diet or otherwise.
The chocolate and peanuts would be exempt because they are packaged and prepared off-site. The lager and whisky would be exempt because they are drinks above 1.2%.
Wait, what?
They apparently, according to the legislation, do not count towards my 2000 calories a day, or at least, it doesn't seem to be important to point this out.
I get the exemption for small businesses, maybe not from a scientific viewpoint, but at least I understand the need to avoid throwing them another curveball.
But why the exemption for companies like:
Diageo (Owners of Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Tanqueray, Baileys, Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, Don Julio)
or Anheuser-Busch (Owners of Budweiser, Michelob, Stella Artois, Becks)
or even Mars (Who own M&Ms, Snickers, Twix as well as the Mars brand)
and Unilever, owner of Ben and Jerry's (remember the dessert? well if it was a tub of Ben and Jerry's it would be exempt, also I'm still feeling peckish I think I'll have a Pepperami, that they also own, and is also exempt)
I know alcohol and sugar are 'empty' calories, but this very selective and specific legislation reeks of.. something.
I'm trying to imagine being in that meeting:
'Hey let's warn people about unhealthy food'
'ok cool, yeah, but lets not upset any of the big food and drink companies who donate to us and lobby us constantly to make the world better for them'
'ok, yeah, well we should probably exempt small companies then, just to keep things balanced'
'yes, good call, no small family sized businesses'
'we should probably exempt middle sized food outfits too, lets up the threshold to 250 employees'
'perfect, strict warnings to everybody about calories, unless they are served by a small, medium, or very large business'
'it's a done deal, lets have lunch!'