NYC's calories-on-menus law upheld

Newsday ^ | April 16, 2008 | COLLEEN LONG

[Eric Blair 2084]

New York City health officials won a big victory Wednesday when a federal judge upheld a regulation requiring some chain restaurants to post calories on menus and menu boards.

U.S. District Judge Richard Holwell rebuffed a challenge from the New York State Restaurant Association, an industry trade group that argued that the rule violates the First Amendment by forcing restaurants to "convey the government's message regarding the importance of calories."

The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene believes the regulation, which takes effect Monday, will help the city achieve its goal of reducing obesity. The judge agreed.

"It seems reasonable to expect that some consumers will use the information disclosed ... to select lower calorie meals ... and these choices will lead to a lower incidence of obesity," Holwell said.

Chuck Hunt, executive vice president of the association's New York City chapter, said it would ask the judge to stay his ruling pending an appeal. The health department said it would not start fining restaurants until June 3.

"We don't object to people doing it voluntarily," Hunt said Wednesday. "Our problem was the government agency forcing them to do it. We think restaurants should be able to determine from their customers how they want to get the information."

The new rule applies to restaurants that are part of chains with at least 15 outlets across the country. That includes fast-food places like McDonald's and Wendy's, as well as sit-down establishments like Olive Garden and T.G.I. Friday's.

[Eric Blair 2084]

The inevitable next step is fast food taxes for the fat asses who don't heed the Gubmint's health warnings.

They're paying for your care. I'm paying for your care as a taxpayer.

Put the Big Mac down. I don't like to look at your fat ass anymore than you like smelling cigarette smoke.

Shut up and get on the boxcar bitch!*

*Where I come from, bitch is a term of endearment.

[Eric Blair 2084]

Big Brother, Nanny State, Grant Junkie, Bogus Study, Junk Science, Social Engineering, Egalitarian, Central Planning, Sheeple Control, Health Nazi, Socialism, Collectivism

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[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[Hyzenthlay]

Oh, fun... as if it isn’t already bad enough to hear stupid sorority girls whining “Omigod, this hamburger has like, 520 calories, that’s like half a day’s worth, isn’t it? I’m gonna get, like SO fat...” in the dining hall or wherever, I seriously think trying to count calories is really unhealthy. Not that people should be totally unaware of what they eat, but it becomes too much of an obsession.

[baa39]

‘It seems reasonable to expect that some consumers will use the information ... to select lower calorie meals’

It seems reasonable to expect that someone going to Burger King for the Triple Burger with Bacon has some clue that it’s not exactly the same as eating a small salad with nonfat cottage cheese.

If someone is too stupid to figure that out, they aren’t going to be bright enough to count calories either.

[freespirited]

"It seems reasonable to expect that some consumers will use the information disclosed ... to select lower calorie meals ... and these choices will lead to a lower incidence of obesity," Holwell said.

Actually, if you have a brain, this is not a reasonable thought at all.

We have had calorie information on food packages for a couple of decades. The incidence of obesity hasn't gone down ... to the contrary, it has gone up. Given that we eat these labelled foods at home a lot more often than we eat out, this tells us that putting calorie information on restaurant menus isn't likely to do a damn thing but raise costs.

Voluntary labeling is fine with me. What bothers me is when Bloomboob and his NY Nannies pass mandates based on liberal pipedreams rather than actual experience. We all know who is going to pay for the cost of all this. Not Mayor Mikey.

[Trajan88]

I live in Texas and visit my home state (NY) once or twice a year... every time I'm in the Big Apple I need my coal fired oven pizza fix (John's of Bleeker St., Grimaldi's in Brooklyn, or Lombardi's in the Little Italy district).

Speaking of... I had my fix just last Saturday (John's of Bleeker St. - good stuff).

I always order a large pepperoni pie... I bet it is 12,000 cal... I eat the whole thing... (for the record 5' 9.25" and 167 lbs... I need that pizza... get in my belly). I train for that pizza eating session by having one less beer per week ;-)

[Eric Blair 2084]

It seems reasonable to expect that someone going to Burger King for the Triple Burger with Bacon has some clue that it’s not exactly the same as eating a small salad with nonfat cottage cheese.

You are thinking like an intelligent person. Stop it. Think like an authoritarian leftist for a second....Sheeple are too f'ing stupid to figure that out without the wiser and cooler heads of Gubmint coercing them.

They're wards of the state. No KFC extra crispy 12 pc buckets if Gubmint is paying for your healthcare. Their house, their rules.

[Eric Blair 2084]

You’re my size. I can put down the pizza like you do.

Kobayashi from Japan can still beat us both and he’s smaller than us.

[Mr. Silverback]

Shut up and get on the boxcar bitch!*

That shouldn't be funny, but I busted a gut!

[Mr. Silverback]

I train for that pizza eating session by having one less beer per week ;-)

I'm awed by yur training regimen. :-)

[ApplegateRanch]

It seems reasonable to expect that some consumers will use the information disclosed ... to select lower calorie meals ... and these

Calories are the farthest thing from my mind when ordering, especially fast food.

Taste; ingredients; how hungry; how long until dinner or whatever; how much work is it going to have to fuel.

Way back, when my knees were still good, I could choose to take the VW, and get 32 MPG; or to ride the 10-speed, and get 10 miles/milkshake. Milage isn't everything; and neither is "nutrional" information.

[Eric Blair 2084]

NYC spends 1/3 of their budget on Medicaid and health care costs.

They can’t reduce the costs, so they are reaching for straws and trying to reduce the demand.

Maybe they wouldn’t have to spend so much on diabetic testing equipment and high blood pressure meds if the sheeple would eat the damn fresh fruits and veggies that Bloomberg and Frieden are rolling out at taxpayer expense instead of the Popeyes fried chicken.

I look at it in a different way than these leftists....

We live in such a great country that even the “poor” have basic cable, running water, plumbing and cell phones. The “poor” in this great country are actually so well off that they are too fat! They have too much food!

Is this a great country or what?

[timm22]

The new rule applies to restaurants that are part of chains with at least 15 outlets across the country. That includes fast-food places like McDonald's and Wendy's, as well as sit-down establishments like Olive Garden and T.G.I. Friday's.

Great. Now people in New York can choose the healthy cheeseburgers, the healthy fried potato skins, and the healthy alfredo-drenched pasta when they go out to eat.

How long before the city decides the calorie lists are not enough, and that they need to restrict menu options? Any bets?

[Eric Blair 2084]

but what about the chilruns?

I just felt like saying that.

When there is no good answer to a normal logical response from an adult, that usually works for the progressives.

[ApplegateRanch]

What about the cheeeldren?

Simple: just make who ever is buying fork over a drivers license or state ID; post signs: “No person under 21 allowed”; to make it stick, make it a law that any place that serves food must serve alcohol!

Sure, there’ll be steakleggers and binge-easys, but we learned how to control that back during Prohibition: unleash the IRS on them!

[baa39]

Someone here where I live calculated that with low-income housing, food stamps, discounted medical care (sometimes free for kids), the County food bank (which throws food away!), subsidized phone, electric and gas (for those under 20k/year) and all the other stuff we have (this is a big nanny state area), these people “make” the equivalent of about $37,000 per year. That did not include unemployment. These people have “low paying” jobs but make much more than I do if you add all the freebies at taxpayer expense. Some of the “low income” apartments are actually on coastal property with ocean views!

[badgerlandjim]

bump

[RetSignman]

I find it interesting but not surprised that the upper scaled restaurants such as the type the mayor might go to eat aren’t required to label calories.

I guess they consider the masses are just too stupid to know what’s bad for us to eat.

Elitism on parade.

[ninonitti]

Is this a great country or what?

It is Eric, the only trouble is I can't see as much of it because of all the wide loads blocking the view.