Posted by
Vivi on Thursday, March 27, 2008 12:22:02 PM
Yesterday, San Francisco joned New York City and King County, Washington in passing menu labeling. So why can't we?
The Menu Education and Labeling (MEAL) Act is a measure to protect the health of Washington DC residents. Menu labeling will empower consumers to make informed choices at point-of-purchase when eating out. Although many chains choose to provide nutritional information on their websites, or on hidden pamphlets, very few provide the information at point-of-purchase, where it is most important. Without nutrition information, it is hard to make healthy choices, especially for those managing chronic diseases through dietary changes or for those just trying to be healthier.
Councilmember Phil Mendelson, with Councilmember Marion Berry, introduced the MEAL Act in March 2007. This legislation would require all restaurants with 10 or more locations nationwide to label their menus with the total calories, sodium, saturated & trans fats, and carbohydrates for all standard menu items.
Today, chain restaurants in DC are not required to provide nutritional information making it very difficult to make healthy choices when eating out. Hundreds of DC residents with obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes need to know how different foods affect their body and their illness. In 2006, 23% of DC residents were obese and 32% were overweight. Today, approximately 43,000 DC residents have diabetes and more than 143,000 DC residents have high blood pressure.
According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), Americans consume about one third of their calories at restaurants, which is on average, about four meals a week. However, the number of meals eaten outside the home has the potential to be much higher than this in Washington, DC due to the large number of commuters, two-income families and single professionals. It is not surprising that in 2007 DC residents spent the highest portion of their food money on eating out in America – an estimated $2.2 billion.
The legislation does not require restaurants to change menus, ingredients, or portion sizes. The bill only mandates restaurants to reveal the nutritional content of foods, so consumers can make more informed choices. So why the fuss?
The Metro Washington Restaurant Association claims that the MEAL Act would hurt local business and burden restaurants. However, the target of this legislation already has most of this information. Approximately 41 out of 78 chain restaurants in DC already have nutrition information available on websites. All they need to do is make it available on the menu for consumers to see it.
A public hearing on the bill is needed; unfortunately David Catania, Chair of the Council’s Committee on Health, refuses to schedule meetings to speak about this bill. So what are local restaurants and David Catania so afraid of? Menu labeling bills have been passed in King County, Washington, San Francisco and New York City. So why can't DC pass it too?
Since food consumed away from home is an important part of our diets, more informed dietary choices away from home could help reduce calorie over-consumption and the risk of obesity and its associated health problems.