The Restaurant Food Hot Potato : Stop Passing it on - A Commentary on Mah and Timming's, 'Equity in Public Health Ethics: The Case of Menu Labelling Policy at the Local Level'

K. L. Mackay

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)
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Abstract

In the case discussion, 'Equity in Public Health Ethics: The Case of Menu Labelling Policy at the Local Level' (2014), Mah and Timming state that menu labelling would 'place requirements for information disclosure on private sector food businesses, which, as a policy instrument, is arguably less intrusive than related activities such as requiring changes to the food content'. In this commentary on Mah and Timming's case study, I focus on discussing how menu-labelling policy permits governments to avoid addressing the heart of the problem, which is high-calorie, high-sodium restaurant food. Menu labelling policy does not address food content in a way that is meaningful for change, instead relying on individuals to change their behaviour given new information. Besides having questionable efficacy, this raises concerns about moralizing food choices.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)90-93
JournalPublic Health Ethics
Volume8
Issue number1
Early online date19 Jan 2015
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Apr 2015

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