Posting Calorie Counts does NOT encourage better eating habits

When I was first exposed to the calorie counts in New York restaurants, it certainly changed *MY* eating habits. I simply could not bring myself to order *ANYTHING* at the local McDonald's and simply went hungry until I got home. But a recent study of fast food restaurants showed that for the average shopped, the calorie counts did not lead to better choices.

It found that about half the customers noticed the calorie counts, which were prominently posted on menu boards. About 28 percent of those who noticed them said the information had influenced their ordering, and 9 out of 10 of those said they had made healthier choices as a result.

But when the researchers checked receipts afterward, they found that people had, in fact, ordered slightly more calories than the typical customer had before the labeling law went into effect, in July 2008.

This speaks poorly for human nature, and even worse for well-meaning policies. It may go to show that you can not mandate better behavior, without doing away with liberty. And I'd rather have liberty and obesity, than have neither.