Health Care Reform Bringing Calorie Counts

It’s early, but here’s my nomination for quote of the day:

“People will be able to see that the order of chili cheese fries they are considering will be 3,000 calories.”

So said Margo Wootan, a nutrition advocate, as quoted in today’s Los Angeles Times.

The subject is a little-known provision (at least little known to this blogger) in the just-passed massive federal health care reform bill: a requirement throughout the U.S. for chain restaurants, vending machines and some other venues to post the amount of calories contained in every item they sell.

Will this be a big factor in helping combat the nation’s obesity problem? Hard to say, but it can’t hurt. Posted calorie counts have more than once dissauded me from a particular purchase.

The Los Angeles Times reports this federal provision will replace the differing rules on calorie postings that some cities and states, but certainly not all, already have adopted.

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