![]() ![]() Digestive enzymes in the mouth, stomach and intestines break up complex food molecules into simpler structures, such as sugars and amino acids that travel through the bloodstream to all our tissues. Although it did not occur to me at the time, I later realized that humans, too, engage in a kind of tug-of-war with the food we eat, a battle in which we are measuring the spoils-calories-all wrong.įood is energy for the body. Whereas the birds want to get as many calories from fruits as possible-including from the seeds-the plants are invested in protecting their progeny. Eventually, little jungles grew.Ĭlearly, the plants that emus eat have evolved seeds that can survive digestion relatively unscathed. My colleagues and I planted thousands of collected seeds and waited. I was trying to figure out how often seeds pass all the way through the emu digestive system intact enough to germinate. The idea is to disclose the maximize number of calories people might guzzle.At one particularly strange moment in my career, I found myself picking through giant conical piles of dung produced by emus-those goofy Australian kin to the ostrich. What’s listed should be for filled cups, without ice. Q: What happens at self-serve drink stations?Ī: The calorie counts don’t have to be right on the drink nozzles, but should be visible by dispenser. Those serving sizes and corresponding calorie counts would have to be listed near the food, such as on the sneeze guard glass or on a sign. With utensils such as tongs, the serving size has to be by weight or a common household measure, such as a half cup. Q: For grocery stores, how should serving sizes be determined at hot food bars where people serve themselves?Ī: The FDA said utensils such as ladles that can scoop a consistent amount each time can be considered a serving size. She was among those who emailed with the FDA. “The value is kind of lost to the consumer, if you’re telling the consumer the range could be 400 to 1,200 calories,” Annica Kreider, a representative for Mellow Mushroom, an Atlanta-based pizza chain, said in a phone interview. Q: How should calories be listed for customizable dishes? For instance, a fast-food salad that can come with grilled or fried chicken, a packet of croutons and various dressing options.Ī: Giving a range could be OK, with the upper end including the most caloric options (yes, including the croutons).īut even as they comply with the regulations, some restaurant operators question how useful a wide span would be. “You could see where they would be a disadvantage,” she said. Topliff said having to list calories for an entire pie would be unfair to party-cut pies, if traditionally cut pies were listed per slice. But Marla Topliff, president of Rosati’s Pizza, said the agency subsequently agreed to allow the chain to post calories for an average piece in a party-cut pie. Can the chain provide an average calorie count, even though the pieces are different sizes?Ī: Initially, the FDA told a Chicago-based pizza chain it would need to declare calories for the entire pizza, if the pieces weren’t uniform. Q: A circular pizza is divided into a ‘party-cut’ grid, rather than traditional slices. So a basket of dinner rolls or the chips and salsa placed on a table as a courtesy would also be exempt, as would any “secret menu” items that have become trendy at places such as Starbucks. ![]() And in general, restaurants don’t have to cite the calories for items that aren’t listed on menus. Q: What about that bread basket? Or seasonal menus?Ī: Calorie counts aren’t required for items that are on menus for less than 60 days a year. Q: How should the calorie counts be determined?Ī: The FDA says food sellers need to use a “reasonable basis for determining the calorie information.” Lab analysis is one option, but businesses could also get the information from databases, cookbooks, recipes, manufacturers, nutrition labels, or a combination of those options. The restaurant industry association favors a national standard over a patchwork of local laws, though grocery and convenience store groups are hoping for a delay in enforcement and more flexibility in how they can disclose the calorie counts.įor now, the topics addressed by the FDA help illustrate what diners can expect to see on their menus. Whether President-elect Donald Trump and the new Congress try to make any changes to the regulation - passed as part of the health care overhaul - isn’t yet known. ![]()
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