Menu calorie counts catching on

By Blondell Reynolds Brown

A year after Philadelphia began requiring restaurants to disclose calories and other information on their menus, the practice is gaining national acceptance and helping people make healthier choices.

The city's menu-labeling law, which I sponsored, requires restaurant chains with more than 15 locations to post nutritional information on all their menus and menu boards. Restaurants that don't comply can be fined as much as $500.

When City Council passed the law in November 2008, the Center for Science in the Public Interest praised it as "the strongest in the nation so far" and hoped it would serve as "a model for other jurisdictions." Indeed, many other cities and states have considered or passed similar laws in recent years, and national menu-labeling rules are expected soon under last year's health-care reform.

The goal of Philadelphia's law is simple: to reduce obesity by giving people more knowledge about the food they're eating. I hope it encourages consumers to trade high-calorie meals for lower-calorie options.

The law isn't meant to stop Philadelphians from eating cheesesteaks, fast food, or their favorite snacks. But my Council colleagues and I felt they should be aware of the health impacts of what they're eating and should be able to make informed choices about a growing part of their diet.

As Americans eat out more, we are consuming more calories, fat, and salt than we realize, sometimes from sources we don't suspect. The Center for Science in the Public Interest reports that coffee drinks can contain up to 800 calories; a small milk shake has more calories than a Big Mac; and a tuna sandwich from a typical deli contains twice as many calories as a roast beef sandwich with mustard.

Nutrition experts report that Americans consume a third of their calories away from home, and children consume almost twice as many calories per meal at restaurants as they do at home. So menu labeling should help us tackle childhood obesity, a mounting problem in Philadelphia and nationwide.

Studies of menu-labeling laws in other cities have shown that they work. A 2009 study by New York City's health department found that people who considered the newly available caloric information bought items with an average of 106 fewer calories. It also found that caloric consumption dropped at nine of the 13 restaurants surveyed after the regulations went into effect.

The restaurant industry traditionally opposed menu-labeling laws, but that has begun to change. The National Restaurant Association supported the federal provision mandating menu labeling. CEO Dawn Sweeney called menu labeling a "win for consumers and restaurateurs," adding, "We know the importance of providing consumers with the information they want and need, no matter in which part of the country they are dining."

It takes time for people to change their dietary habits. But I hope Philadelphia's menu-labeling law will ultimately make us a healthier city.