Majority of Canadians 'want calorie counts on menus'

One initiative that has frequently hit the headlines in Canada is whether or not restaurants should include calorie counts on their menus. 

While this would help individuals to know exactly what's in their food and how healthy it is, the idea has also faced criticism in that it wouldn't be thorough enough and wouldn't dissuade people from purchasing over-indulgent food.

A recent study from the University of Toronto interviewed 3,000 Canadians and found that 75 per cent were keen to have this nutritional information displayed on the menus.

Researchers also found this would encourage an individual to eat 474 fewer calories and 1,360 fewer milligrams of sodium every day. Considering that Health Canada estimates consuming 2,300 milligrams of sodium daily​, this is a significant reduction.

The team discovered that anywhere between 17 and 30 per cent of those they surveyed changed their order once they discovered the nutritional information on the menus. Customers were tested in four different types of eateries - a sub shop, hamburger restaurant, breakfast restaurant and a sit-down establishment. 

Interestingly, the sodium count stood out as being the one factor that convinced the most number of patrons to opt for an alternative dish. Many also conceded they couldn't believe just how much salt went into certain meals. 

The dangers of consuming too much sodium ha​ve been widely documented, especially recently. It can lead to high blood pressure, which can cause stroke.

There have been attempts to make it compulsory to have calorie, salt and other components labelled, but nothing has come to pass so far. 

Lead author on the study Mary Scourboutakos said: “These findings show that Canadians want to see nutrition information on restaurant menus and that having this information will help them make healthier choices. Legislation that only requires disclosure of calorie information may be a missed opportunity to address the high sodium levels in restaurant foods."

She added that she hoped these findings would "spur legislation that will help improve the health of Canadians". 

This research is poignant because one criticism of calorie counts is that it doesn't portray a full enough picture of the meal. As sodium levels were highlighted in this study as being the main shock factor, it emphasizes how this - along with the fat and sugar contents - should also be included in any labelling on menus. 

One way that chefs and cooks at home can reduce the amount of salt in food is to use herbs and spices instead, which make​s​ the meal healthier yet still adds flavour.