14 Jun, 2009
Calorie Counts Are Coming To California Chain Eateries
Posted by: Dina Eliash Robinson In: Public Safety
By RonDonSD
McDonald’s and other large chain restaurants will have to count calories starting July 1.
You know the old half-funny punch line that goes, “I was told there would be no math?” Get ready for it to make a comeback at chain restaurants all over the state. On July 1, the phase-in period starts for restaurants to begin posting calorie counts on their menus.
The state law will require chains with more than 20 restaurants to have nutritional information listed on menus and menu boards or printed on a brochure that can be handed out. By January 1, 2011, it will be mandatory for eateries to have the information on the menu pertaining to a food item’s count on calories, carbohydrates, saturated fat and sodium.
The law does not pertain to chains with less than 20 establishments, nor to single-restaurant owners or mom-and-pop places. Other states are looking at or have passed similar laws. And in an effort to standardize the practice, federal legislation is in the works.
Proponents say the calorie counts will save lives and money. According to the California Department of Public Health, Californians have gained 360 million pounds over the last decade. And, one in three children and one in four teens are overweight or at risk, with obesity coming in at number two as the biggest cause of preventable death (tobacco use is number-one).
“This legislation will help Californians make more informed, healthier choices,” Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement.
The California Restaurant Association supports the calorie counts, says CRA spokesperson Daniel Conway. “We were opposed to a previous version of this, but we’ve worked with legislators and gotten behind this,” he says. “It’s helpful for consumers, so we are dealing with the logistical issues this will have for some of our members.”
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