NYC votes to put calorie counts on menu boards

Restaurants in New York City will soon have to make some space for calorie counts on their menu boards, following a Board of Health vote on the issue Tuesday.

The regulation, which affects chain restaurants with 15 or more outlets — or about 10 per cent of restaurants in the city — will come into effect on March 31.

'I don't think we're going to see the 2,700-calorie appetizers that we see now.' —Thomas Frieden, health commissioner

City officials said they hope the new regulations, introduced as a measure to fight growing levels of obesity, will help consumers make informed choices. The board of health expects the regulation may help prevent more than 30,000 cases of diabetes.

Before the vote, Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden said he hoped the regulations would move restaurants to include healthier fare on their menus.

"I don't think we're going to see the 2,700-calorie appetizers that we see now," Frieden said.

A federal court threw out an earlier attempt to put calorie information on menu boards in establishments that already volunteered the information to consumers.

Judge Richard Holwell said such legislation would only be acceptable if it also applied to restaurants that didn't voluntarily offer nutritional information.

New York City banned oils containing trans fats from restaurants last year while California and Washington are mulling similar legislation.

In Canada, the City of Calgary limits trans fat content in cooking oil to two per cent. Health Canada delayed introducing national regulations last June and instead called on Canadian food companies to trim trans fats voluntarily from their products within two years.

A June 2006 Health Canada task force on trans fat noted that 22 per cent of the average trans-fat intake is found in foods consumed away from home, usually in fast-food restaurants.

However, the task force advised that restaurants would have a difficult time providing nutritional information given limited space on menus and menu boards and varying preparation standards.