Yesterday, my family joined some friends on an outing, after which we all went out to eat at the Panera's in Chapel Hill. I saw something new in restauranting - a binder with the ingredients and nutritional profile of every item on the menu. Just as if they were a supermarket, and this labeling was required.

Two reactions:

1. Bravo to Panera's for taking this step. Until we know what's in the food
we choose, we can't make informed choices.

2. There's almost nothing on the Panera menu that I would put in my mouth. The
foods are loaded with flavorings (especially the soups and dressings) and
there's some milk byproduct on just about every page (whey, casein, etc.)

I ended up with the Low Fat Vegetarian Vegetable Soup (that's a name that makes
you feel deprived, doesn't it?) a plate of salad drenched in oil and vinegar,
and an apple. The soup was awfully salty and tasted "canned," and
reminded me why I prefer my own cooking to eating out almost anywhere.

Next time, if there is one, I'm going to hold the dressing and bring a snack.

There were some decent looking sandwiches with meat in them, but I don't eat
meat that isn't organic and raised cruelty-free. Panera's didn't advertise that
their chicken came from a happy farm, so I'm assuming that it comes from a
factory farm somewhere in Arkansas.
I don't want to put that mess into my body, to say nothing of the ethical
implications.

But bravo, Panera, for starting the process of informing us what we're eating.
Once this trend becomes widespread (and it will when we the consumers start
demanding it), there will be a race to the top. Even convenience stores like
7-11 are jumping on the bandwagon and beginning to add healthier foods to their
shelves.

But until we can read the labels ourselves, we can't be sure if the food is
truly health-promoting, or just "healthy-sounding."