It would be nice if all the food chains and establishments provide the calorie counts of their food products to help diners make informed decisions. Subway, known for its footlong sandwiches, will be doing just that starting April 11.
Subway has been keen on offering healthy alternatives compared to other fast food chains, and in a few days it will also include calorie counts on menu boards across its 27,000 stores in the United States.
"For years it has been a priority for Subway sandwich shops to share full nutrition information with our guests so they can make more informed meal choices," said dietitian Lanette Kovachi of Subway.
The food chain announced that customers can see calorie listings on its menu panels starting Monday, several months before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) national menu labeling mandate takes full effect.
The FDA's Calorie-Labeling Rules
In November 2014, the FDA announced that it will require all restaurants, food shops, coffee shops, convenience stores and other food establishments to post nutritional information on their menus.
Implementation of the mandate was delayed in July 2015, and the deadline for compliance was moved to Dec. 1, 2016 because of requests from industry and trade associations for an additional year with which to comply with the guidelines. However, some experts believe that the extra time would just be used by food companies to lobby against the FDA's rules.
The Dec. 1 enforcement of the guidelines will once again be delayed to one year after the FDA issues the final Level 1 guidance. The agency is currently considering all comments it received on the draft Level 1 guidance and promises to "issue the final guidance as soon as possible."
There are some who speculate that nutritional information such as calorie counts on menus would not drastically change consumer behavior when it comes to selecting what to eat, but still, the National Restaurant Association supported the legislation.
Just Continuing What It Started
Subway actually began the initiative of placing nutritional information on its counters and tray liners back in 1997. Ten years later, it started including calorie counts on menus in its New York City stores. A Subway online nutrition calculator was also introduced in 2010.
Recently, Subway vowed to source 100 percent cage-free eggs by 2025.
"We want consumers to know the calorie value of our sandwiches and salads but we also want them to know that many of our menu items contain quality calories and are packed with beneficial nutrients from whole grains, lean meats and the wide range of vegetables we serve," said Kovachi.
Photo: Vincent Desjardins | Flickr
