Calorie counts no silver bullet

The idea behind recently issued federal rules is that calorie counts posted at places where Americans go out to eat will make them think twice about overeating.

Whether this belief, codified in rules by the Food and Drug Administration, will reduce obesity is anyone’s guess.

Like others, we hope so. Americans’ great and growing girth is at the root of many a health issue.

While calorie counts for everything from a bucket of movie theater popcorn to frothy coffee concoctions might be helpful, we doubt that ignorance is the primary driver behindAmericans being too fat.

Really, it’s a lack of interest in healthier eating or slimming down that is the core issue.

And it’s patronizing to suggest that those downing double cheeseburgers and fries are laboring under the delusion that it’s health food or low-cal.

Surely, those who are dangerously overweight know they should eat more vegetables and not consume a whole day’s worth of calories in one sitting.

It’s the sort of common-sense and basic nutritional advice that has been dispensed, and often ignored, for decades.

Having said that, some people who actually are mindful of such matters might be surprised to discover that a certain favorite lunch sandwich, for instance, packs more of a caloric punch than they thought.

For those individuals, the new rules will be useful information. And to the extent that consumer demand drives menu or ingredient changes, the labeling requirements— which come out of the 2010 Affordable Care Act — could be a positive force.

Generally speaking, we believe people should have accurate information, whether about the conduct of their government or calorie counts of their take-out food.

The power of good information, however, is only as strong as the willingness to use it.