Are you the type of person who appreciates a quality cocktail menu while dining out? So are we, but things are about to change. Without even questioning the caloric value, you probably order an average of three fruity drinks during your time at a restaurant. No shame—who wouldn’t? They’re made to be delicious. Still, by next November, the FDA will make these nutritional values more apparent; chain restaurants with 20 or more locations will be required to list an item’s number of calories on both their food and drink menus.
“Alcoholic beverages are a key contributor to the calories Americans are consuming, and most of the time when people have a drink they have absolutely no idea what its caloric impact is,” says Margo Wootan of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Wootan’s point is accurate for all us; sometimes without knowing we consume an entire meal’s worth of calories just in alcoholic beverages alone. Not concerned with nutrition? Fair enough. You can bypass the FDA calorie placement simply by ordering a drink at the bar or one that isn’t listed on the official menu.
Both a blessing and a curse, these new guidelines will hopefully spark a healthy movement among those of us always ordering off of the cocktail menu. Either way, after your first two drinks, you probably won’t give a care in the world about your caloric intake anyway. But what do you think—did the FDA make the right decision?