In August 2010, the Food and Drug Administration released a preliminary draft of the restaurant menu labeling rules that will go into effect on March 23 of this year. A section of the new health care law mandates that restaurants clearly display calorie information on menus, including sit down and drive through menus.

The new rules will apply to many different types of eateries. The general rule is that any restaurant with 20 or more locations is required to label products with calorie information.  The rule also includes vending machines.

U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) co-authored legislation in 2003, much of which is now included in the new healthcare law, which mandated full disclosure of nutritional information on menus.

"This is a great step forward towards ensuring that Americans will be able to make more informed choices about the food they are eating, which will help to combat obesity, cut health care costs, and improve and enhance our lives. The FDA's efforts in making this a reality are admirable, as is the cooperation and participation of the restaurant industry as we move forward," said DeLauro in a press release. "With childhood obesity rates tripling over the last 30 years, this legislation is absolutely imperative to the health of our nation."

Well - except that the research to back up the childhood obesity claims is, well shall we say - inconclusive.

In a similar fashion, a new report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the National Research Council (NRC) says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) isn't able to deal with the nation's food supply problems and needs to do a better job of educating the public about healthy foods.

To conclude that the FDA needs to do more, more efficiently does not, shall we say, provide a memorable "aha!" moment.

Thus far, government efforts to promote better food safety have been made with expanded recall powers and more numerous inspections. But more needs to be done, Congress says.

America's health depends on having better information about the food they're eating - particularly in today's era of genetically modified foods with nutritional nanotechnology, probiotics and other functions. Reformers must recognize this new reality and ensure that pending FDA reform capitalizes on using food as a potent tool for better health.

An informed consumer makes better, healthier choices. And nowhere is this more true or important than when it comes to the foods we buy, the meals we prepare and the snacks we eat. Knowledge about health unleashes the power of health.

More information leads to better choices.

Our nation is facing a crisis and its name is obesity. Many experts believe that nearly two-thirds of American are overweight - many of them children. And the battle is clearly being fought on the home front. Seventy-six percent of all meals are prepared at home. If we can help America shop healthfully, we can begin to turn the tide against the enemy of obesity.

But all we can talk about is restaurant labeling?  It's so typical - and yet so deleterious to the public health.  We're looking for "bad guys" when, in the memorable words of Pogo, "We have met the enemy and he is us."