Here’s one for the calorie counters, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craigers, South Beachers and Atkins Dieters of the City of Philadelphia; starting January 1, 2010 chain restaurants will let it all hang out and list nutritional information on their menus.
Calories, saturated fat, trans fat, carbohydrates and sodium (oh my!)-- Soon you won’t be able to escape them.
All the nutritional info you need to make healthy choices will be written right there on the printed menu, similar in size and typeface to price and food description. Chain restaurants with 15 or more locations will all play by the new rules.
And, for those places that only use menu boards and don’t have “printed” menus? Don’t worry, they have to hop on the scale too and list calories (only calories) on their menu boards.
It's a bold step in a city that not too long ago was known as America's Fattest City. The Philadelphia City Council passed the ordinance to give consumers the information they need to eat healthfully, manage their weight and avoid diet-related disease.
The menu labeling ordinance was sponsored by Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, Friday, November 6, 2008.
These “low-cost menu-labeling measures” may also push restaurants to offer more healthy choices, the City Council members hope.
Health
In a poll hosted by Paul Steck, President of the Conshohocken-based Saladworks chain showed that 35% of customers wanted to see nutritional information, 65% did not.
