Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Calorie counts and serving sizes

A new study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association shows that many grocery and restaurant foods understate their food energy (calorie) contents by 8% to 18% on average. Some restaurant items had double the stated calories.

The study, by Prof. Susan Roberts and several other colleagues here at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts, concluded, "this phenomenon could hamper efforts to self-monitor energy intake to control weight."

For interesting coverage, see Marion Nestle, Time Magazine, Slate's Explainer, and Food Navigator.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...
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Hank Cardello said...

Hopefully this information is not accurate. These kinds of results can lead to an erosion in consumer trust and loyalty. This is something industry needs to keep an eye on for its own credibility.

For more on the subject, check out my blog, Stuffed Nation

Hank Cardello

Author of Stuffed: an insider's look at who's (really) making America fat

usfoodpolicy said...

Hey Hank. Cool blog (this comment may not be interpreted as agreement with everything therein). By coincidence, I had just added your book to my purchase list for upcoming reading. I'm looking forward to it.

Anonymous said...
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