Mandatory calorie information at chain restaurants?

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June 16th, 2009 - Posted by Caitlin

Several states and large cities have already passed laws requiring restaurant chains to display calorie counts on their menus. While the impacted business owners have protested against these laws in the past, the restaurant industry now supports a bill that would mandate calories on menus nationwide. The Menu Education and Labeling (MEAL) act is sponsored by Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski and Democrat Senators Tom Carper and Tom Harkin and is backed by the National Restaurant Association and National Council of Chain Restaurants, as well as several health groups, including the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association. The senators stated that under the proposed law, consumers would also be able to request other nutrition information, such as fat, sodium, and carbohydrate contents. While the majority of restaurants would naturally prefer not to list calorie information at all, a national bill would at least impose consistency on the labeling system, as opposed to a series of state and local bills with differing requirements.

The Menu Education and Labeling act would, of course, be great news for dieters. Many diet programs emphasize calorie counting or following a specific nutrition regime, and dining at restaurants can sometimes derail a strict diet plan. Having nutrition information available would certainly help those who are watching their weight overcome the challenge of integrating restaurant meals into their plans.

Many of the diet programs reviewed on NextAdvisor.com provide a variety of tools to help count calories and track weight loss progress, as well as tips on making healthy choices when dining out. For more information about online diet services, see our reviews and comparison charts.