The Newsroom  •  Published Tuesday, Jul. 3, 2007, 9:32 AM
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Calories on menus: The next frontier in the obesity fight?

Galveston county Daily News, July 3, 2007 By Howard Brody GALVESTON - Most everyone probably knows by now that New York City is banning trans fats in its restaurants. What most people have not heard is that the same city's health department is working on rules that would require many restaurants to clearly post the number of calories next to the prices on the menu. Many nutritionists have noted that the trans fat ban is unlikely to do much to stem America's mounting girth, and may even do harm - if folks see the ads that say "zero grams of trans fats" and think that means they can munch away to their heart's content, even though every other kind of fat has the same amount of calories. On the other hand, having the calorie count of the triple bacon burger with cheese right in your face as you make your purchase might really alter people's behavior. At least the food industry thinks so, based on those who are gearing up to fight the New York rules. Wendy's, for instance, was initially eligible to have to post calories, due to the fact that it had those calorie counts already available on a part of its Web site. Rather than have to post the calorie counts on the menu, Wendy's elected to take down that part of its Web site.



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