Calif. Requires Menus To Detail Nutrition

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Any chain that owns 20 or more locations will be required by law to post the information by 2011. When July arrives in California restaurants and drive-throughs will have to offer menus that provide information on Carbs, sodium, calories and saturated fat in each item.

If any chain violates this law than the county health department could fine the chain between $50 to $500.

The legislation was part of California's push to set a national model for nutrition policy and to fight obesity, according to Schwarzenegger. Obesity costs the state $28.6 billion in health-care costs, lost productivity and worker's compensation.

Schwarzenegger spoke at a news conference outside a Chili's restaurant and said that he was in the Austrian army and he drove a tank that weighed 50 tons and if you multiply that by 3,500 than that is how many pounds as California has gained in the past decade. The Governor went on and said that this law will help California citizens make more informed, healthier choices by making calorie information easily accessible at thousands of restaurants throughout the state.

Much of the focus on fostering a healthier California has been directed at schools, where you will not find junk food and soda because they have been removed and replaced by fruits and vegetables.

Cities across the country seem to be following California's lead, where similar legislation has been approved. New York and Seattle are among those cities and several others, including Chicago, Washington and Philadelphia have proposals pending.

Margo G. Wootan, nutrition policy director at the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest, said that all are part of a movement to educate consumers and help them make healthier choices. According to Wootan, the effort has been gaining speed in the past two years.

Wootan went on and said that cities and states are interested in menu labeling because chain restaurants are playing a big role in Americans' diets. Americans get a third of their calories from eating out and restaurant foods are not exactly the healthiest around and that is causing problems in Americans' diets.

On March 31 New york City's menu-labeling regulations took effect after a court battle with the New York State Restaurant Association. Wootan cited a 2008 poll by Technomic, a restaurant industry consulting firm, and the poll revealed that consumers favored the regulations and that 86 percent of New yorkers consider the law a positive one.

As a result of the law, New York restaurants are now offering healthier, low-fat ingredients and smaller portions.

The Caravan Opinion Research Corp., a market research firm, released a poll that revealed that 78 percent of Americans think fast-food and other chain restaurants should list nutritional information.

Sens. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) and Carole Migden (D-San Francisco) authored the bill that was passed in California and was also supported by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy and the American Cancer Society. The final legislation was also supported by the California Restaurant Association, which was an early critic of the bill.