In July 2007, I was visiting my son in New York City. We had been sightseeing all morning in the muggy weather. I suggested that we step inside a McDonald’s for a cool low-fat ice-cream cone.
As I walked toward the counter, I happened to look up at the menu board. It was a dietitian’s dream come true. The calories of every food item were shining in bright neon colors on the menu as part of the city’s pioneering calorie- posting push. People could now see how many calories it would cost them to bite into that double-bacon cheeseburger with extra cheese — hold the tomato.
New York City health officials looking for a new way to fight obesity began requiring chain restaurants to post calorie counts in 2008. Similar laws have since been approved in more than a dozen places, including California. Read more.