Calorie Count Mandate was in Obamacare Bill

One of the many little provisions in Obamacare that will threaten your property and liberty is one where the federal government will now order restaurant chains to post calorie counts on menus, menu boards and drive-through displays as well as provide additional nutrition information upon request. The law also applies to convenience stores and grocery outlets that serve ready-to-eat meals as well as many vending machine operators. According to the Detroit News, this new federal mandate will go into effect next year after the FDA writes the rules, and will affect more than 200,000 restaurant chains nationwide and several thousand in Michigan.

According to restaurant owners and operators, the rules are expensive, make menus overly complicated and prompt few changes in eating habits. From The Detroit News:

Anytime anyone talks about piling additional costs on the industry, it's a problem," said Andy Deloney of the Michigan Restaurant Association. Restaurateurs in New York City, where chains have been required to post nutritional information since 2008, say the law puts them at a competitive disadvantage with smaller eateries. "The ... guy who owns the pizzeria across the street doesn't have to do it," said David Melton, who owns four Domino's Pizza shops in Manhattan.

Proponents of the law say that it is okay to reduce choices and burden companies with expensive regulations because it may encourage the slaves of the state on state-controlled healthcare to eat different foods then they would like to. I disagree, and feel that this yet another provision in Obamacare that is designed to hurt businesses. From the Detroit News:

Nicole Wilski, who owns a Checkers Drive Thru in Clinton Township, believes most diners will still base food choices on quality, taste and service. She expects a costly transition to the new rules.

"All components of our menu boards will need to be replaced," Wilski said. "Any printed materials, including menus, advertisements or promotions, will be changed to comply with the new law. (Employees) will need to have the knowledge to answer any questions our guests may have. There will be costs for the time to train them and the materials to train them with."

Tyranny will come a bit at a time, and one day, you'll wonder what a free world looked like. Probably you didn't imagine that it might look a menu of items to buy with only the prices next to them, without calorie counts and government warnings.