Governor Schwarzenegger Signs Legislation Empowering Californians to Make Healthy Menu Choices
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Today, Governor
Schwarzenegger signed SB 1420, legislation that will better equip Californians
to make healthier choices when eating out. Because more meals are being consumed
outside the home where nutritional information is not as accessible, more
calories are being consumed than ever before - contributing to the obesity
epidemic. This bill requires that all California restaurants with twenty locations
or more statewide clearly display the caloric content of every standard menu
item by January 1, 2011. In making this information available to everyone,
Governor Schwarzenegger is empowering Californians to make more
calorie-conscious choices - ultimately improving public health and saving lives
from obesity-related deaths.
SB 1420 will provide
Californians with the knowledge they need to make healthy choices at
restaurants. Three-quarters of American adults report using
food labels on packaged foods - this bill expands our ability to make informed
food choices by allowing us to do in restaurants what we already do at grocery
stores.
Restaurants with more than 20 locations
statewide will be required to display the caloric content of every standard menu
item either next to the item name on the menu or the menu board on or after
January 1, 2011.
- Beginning July 1, 2009, brochures containing either calorie or other nutritional information, like grams of saturated fat, carbohydrates and milligrams of sodium, will be at the point of sale and drive-thrus.
- The legislation preempts a patchwork of local ordinances by creating a uniform statewide standard.
Our nation's obesity epidemic is directly linked to caloric intake - this legislation allows Californians to be more calorie-conscious, decreasing obesity and saving lives. With more meals eaten outside the home than ever before, it makes sense to be able to ascertain the same caloric information from restaurants as from a grocery store - with SB 1420, we can.
- Obesity increases the risk of diabetes,
heart disease, stroke, some cancers and is the second leading cause of
preventable deaths - second only to smoking.
- In making the caloric value of standard menu items available to all restaurant patrons, California residents are provided greater ability to make healthier choices and potentially decrease health risks related to obesity.
This legislation is an
opportunity for businesses because it encourages marketplace competition for a
healthier state. SB 1420 will compel restaurants to make their
menu items healthier - spurring a new wave of competition to benefit our economy
and our waistlines.
SB 1420 has broad
support from a number of prominent health and business organizations including:
- California Restaurant Association
- American Cancer Society
- American Heart Association
The Governor has taken other significant steps to keep California restaurant-goers healthy. Earlier this year the Governor signed AB 97, which will phase out the use of trans fats in all California restaurants beginning in 2010 and from all baked goods by 2011.
