Personal Injury Law

NYC Gets Calorie on the Menu Mandate

By Jane Akre

Beginning Monday at your favorite New York City eatery you can ask for ketchup, fries and get the calorie count for both.

A federal judge Wednesday upheld a city health regulation requiring some chain restaurants post the calorie count of selections on their menu. The state restaurant association had challenged the rule as a violation of the First Amendment by forcing restaurants to carry a message.

The rule applies to chain restaurants with at least 15 stores across the country such as McDonald's, Wendy's, Olive Garden and T.G.I. Friday's. Starbucks and Chipotle already post the numbing numbers.

Mark Laughlin tells the AP that he declined his usual stuffed burrito at Chipotle near Penn Station when the menu said he could be consuming anywhere from 400 to 900 calories.

Not everyone agrees with big brother approach to calorie counting. And the policy will not apply to fine dining restaurants.

The ruling results from the fact that more than half of New Yorkers are overweight. The health department believes seeing the numbers before you consume them could prevent 30,000 cases of diabetes and 150,000 from tipping the scales into obesity over the next five years.

The purpose it to just get consumers to think twice before they consume.  It was promoted by Mayor Michael Bloomberg who was behind the push to stop smoking in bars and restaurants and ban trans fats from restaurant foods.

California and Seattle may be next to adopt a mandatory menu calorie count.   #

Full post as published by InjuryBoard on April 16, 2008 (boomark / email).