Remember Morgan Spurlock's Academy Award nominated documentary, Super Size Me, which chronicled the filmmaker's 30-day McDonald's fast-food bender? Well, it seems that the documentary, nearly five years later is having an impact in Portland, Oregon of all places.
The AP reports that in an unanimous vote by Multnomah County commissioners, Portland-area chain restaurants will be required to display calorie info on their menus. Nearly 500 Portland restaurants will be affected as many have 15 locations or more nationwide. This nutritional info must be displayed on the fast-food menus in a font that is the same size as the food items listed.
It's no secret that fast-food is riddled with calories. Here's a breakdown of cheeseburgers from the top three fast-food restaurants according to their respective websites: a Burger King Whopper® has a whopping 770 calories, a McDonald's Quarter Pounder® with Cheese has significantly less at 510 calories, and a Wendy's Single hamburger has the least at 490 calories.
Due to the failing economy, Americans are turning to these chain restaurants to save money. And with 99-cent and dollar value menus it's simple to see the attraction to these fast-food, high-calorie treats. That's why proponents of menu labeling believe awareness is key as the average consumer may be ignorant of just how many calories some menu items have.
Could this help to solve the obesity epidemic, specifically in Multnomah county? That's unlikely says County Commissioner Jeff Cogen, "No one says this will solve the problem of obesity in Multnomah County, but it's an important first step." I for one applaud this effort as the next, best viable option as it will be difficult to pry these addicting treats from the hands of struggling Americans.
As can be expected, not everyone favored this legislation. As stated by the AP, the "Oregon Restaurant Association lobbied against the rule when it was first discussed last year, citing cost, liability and government overreaching." Most likely, they were more concerned that chains might decide to setup shop elsewhere. But that's probably not likely as this calorie information is available in other major markets.
Multnomah County is the third U.S. location, behind New York City and Seattle, to implement menu labeling. Eventually, this may become the norm instead of the exception to the rule it currently is in these cities.
The author of this article is Bryan Wisotsky. Read his blog at Storybook Vacations.
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