Chris Nord of Provo was munching at the University Mall food court when asked what he thinks about Congress perhaps ordering chain restaurants to post on menu boards how many calories each item contains. He looked at his son in a stroller and said, "We might buy him healthier stuff."
That is the hope of Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah.
He introduced the Labeling Education and Nutrition — or LEAN — Act Tuesday to require such posting in hopes that customers will not inadvertently super-size themselves into obesity.
"American adults buy a meal or a snack from a restaurant five times per week on average and spend 48 percent of their food budget on food away from home, almost $1,078 per person annually," Matheson told the House. "Unfortunately, we have also seen the toll diseases such as obesity and diabetes have taken on society."
But diners at the Orem food court had mixed feelings about the idea and whether it would be used well.
"I think it's a waste of board because I would never read it," said Whitney Lucking, 18, of Heber. "Sometimes you don't want to know how many calories. … People would get less business."
But McKenzie Brown, 18, of Provo, said, "I think it's good to know what you're eating. You want to know how many calories. … I don't think anything in here is really very nutritious, except for maybe Subway.
Arctic Circle President Gary Roberts said he's not opposed to such a law. "But we would but rather have it listed on a separate poster or given out upon request, rather than clutter up the menu board with it. It's tough to try to put all that information in a small space when only about 5 percent of the people really care about it."
The LEAN Act would require restaurants and grocery store chains that serve prepared foods and have 20 or more locations to disclose calories for each menu item, so smaller restaurants would not face the expense of testing their menu items to produce such information.
The listing must be on the menu, menu board, in a menu insert or on a sign next to a menu board. They also must have data available for 11 other nutritional items, such as sugar and sodium levels. Many chains now have that data online or through cards available upon request, but that requires time and effort to find.
Matheson noted that Congress in 1994 required food manufacturers to provide nutrition information on nearly all packaged foods but exempted restaurants. That led 20 states to consider varying labeling requirements for restaurants this year.
"Currently, there is a mishmash of state and local standards about how calories and other nutritional information is to be displayed," Matheson said. "My bill is a reasonable response to the need to inform customers without putting undue expense and burdensome regulation on an industry that is already feeling the effects of a troubled economy."
Utah Restaurant Association President Melva Sine says it is the right bill at the right time.
"It provides uniformity and consistency across the country, and it is a positive development for restaurants, their employees and their customers," Sine said.
Matheson introduced his bill with Sen. Fred Upton, R-Mich. A companion bill was also introduced Tuesday in the Senate by Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska.
Carper said Tuesday, "Healthy nutrition and obesity are national concerns that cry for national attention, and our job is to give consumers the tools they need to make smart choices in their everyday lives."
Murkowski added, "Today, America is facing an obesity epidemic which must be addressed at the national level."
The bill is supported by the National Restaurant Association and the Coalition for Responsible Nutrition Information.
Contributing: Valerie Phillips. E-mail: lee@desnews.com, jdavis@desnews.com