Saudi authorities launched a public campaign a week ago, applying a new system that compels all food outlets and restaurants to specify the calorie count of their meals. All food places are required by law now to mark the number of calories on all their meals to enable the consumer to know how much fat, oil, salt, etc will enter their body. The new system includes restaurants, cafes and ice cream parlors.
This decision is wonderful as well as important to public health, especially for teenagers and children who often eat fast food that is usually filled with harmful fats. It is an excellent campaign and I hope to see the same in Kuwait too - we are in need of such campaigns for the benefit of the people.
According to Saudi daily Okaz, the authorities will levy a fine of 1,000 Saudi riyals on each entity that does not comply with this regulation. Local media indicated that the fines could reach 10,000 riyals, as well as closing the violating facility and withdrawing its license. This is an important move, and I agree that the government should oblige restaurants and shops to publish this information and hand them a fine in case of noncompliance.
The Saudi health ministry in collaboration with the general directorate of health information and awareness had overseen many programs aimed at weight loss by reducing the amount of calories consumed by an individual, and even prepared a guide for restaurants and cafes to show them the proper means to put the calorie content on the list of meals and drinks.
The decision raises a question about how to calculate calories. Laboratory analysis is one way, but databases also help food establishments record the ingredients of the meals to determine the amount of calories they contain. There are also calorie calculation programs. A search in databases for specific food items is done to calculate the amount of calories, carbohydrates, fats and protein found in foods.
I think the process is easy, but needs efforts by the restaurant staff and management and perhaps the restaurant owner, who find it is easier to sell food without going into this process. Yet, I believe that the consumer needs to know how many calories are there in a cheeseburger, for example, and what fats do to the body.
The decision stipulates that the calorie count should be presented in a clear manner for each food item on the menu. I hope the ministry of health in Kuwait, along with relevant state bodies, adopts such an important campaign to educate the public and protect their lives.
By Muna Al-Fuzai
muna@kuwaittimes.net