WASHINGTON D.C. – There's nothing wrong with indulging every now and then, a doughnut here, a milkshake there, but according to the Food and Drug Administration too many Americans are doing it and are not even aware of how much they're eating.
Because of that, last November, the administration proposed a rule making it mandatory for chain restaurants, movie theaters and pizza parlors to display the calories in all food items on the menu.
Thursday the FDA announced it's delaying the implementation of that rule to give your favorite restaurants more time to comply.
Critics of the announcement fear that will give restaurant and grocery industries more time to lobby against the rule to keep consumers in the dark about what is in their food.
According to a local nutritionist, most Americans eat mindlessly and very few people actually know how many calories are in the food that they're consuming.
"If you actually have the calorie count posted you're more likely, a health conscious person is more likely to choose the smaller portion over the large portion," Dr. Claudia Sealey-Potts, registered dietician with the University of North Florida, said.
That means instead of getting three donuts you may only get one, and according to some food companies in the pizza industry who have campaigned against the rule, visible calories are a problem.
"As a restaurant owner or a business owner, the bottom line is money, so they don't want you to think twice about getting a very large pizza with all the toppings," Sealey-Potts said.
The rules only affect restaurant chains so mom and pop restaurants will not be affected. Final implementation of the rule is set for December 2016.