New York City Implements Restaurant Trans Fat Ban and Calorie Count Posting Requirement

The New York City's ban on restaurant trans fats and the requirement that restaurants post calorie counts went into effect on Sunday.

Better-for-you fat

The first-in-the-nation trans fat ban is another step in New York City's trend-setting healthy legislation, following in the spirit of the 2003 smoking ban. Other cities including Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the Boston, Massachusetts suburb of Brookline recently passed trans fat prohibitions, and still others are considering similar measures.

The regulation to ensure less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving is a two phase implementation, according to New York City government records. The first applies to oils, shortening and margarines used for frying and spreading; the second, which takes effect July 1, 2008, applies to everything else. Health Department records indicate that most fast food chains implemented the trans fat ban ahead of the deadline.

Doing the math
However, haphazard restaurant compliance with the calorie posting rule is occurring. The rule requires fast food restaurants to list calorie counts next to menu items in type that is at least the same font size as the price. Since the City will not issue fines until October 1, restaurant chains are ignoring the rule and waiting for a decision on a federal court lawsuit brought by the New York Restaurant Association about the legality of the calorie listing rule.

So why is the second part of the regulation so much more odious to restaurants? Encouraging healthier eating habits through healthier ingredients is one thing, putting the calorie counts front and center for customers to read is another. A McDonald's Big Mac has 540 calories, a large fries has 570, and a large chocolate milk shake as 740 calories, combining for 1,850 calories. Even the hungriest of customers may reconsider an order size when knowingly ordering a super high caloric meal.

The rationale restaurants provide for not wanting to comply with the calorie posting regulation is that it will make the menus overly complex. Restaurants such as Starbucks are seeking compromise measures such as accessible nutritional information flip books. Many restaurants already post nutritional information on the wall for customers to peruse, but not in large print. If the current regulation holds up in court, the City is not likely to accept non-obvious postings as the regulation goal is for customers to see calorie counts at time of order so they make a fully educated choice.

Health officials estimate that the average New Yorker gets more than one third of daily calories away from home and that 100 extra daily calories can equate to 10 pounds each year. Regardless of the final decision about calorie count posting, the elimination of trans fat from restaurant cooking and the opening of a dialogue about calories is a positive step toward healthier eating.

Sources:

New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

New York City Government Web site

McDonald's Web site