"The reality is that people are eating out," said Sanchez, adding that nearly half of all food dollars are spent at restaurants. "So we need to give them the tools to be able to do that."
While stopping short of saying that people would be better off not eating out so much, Goldstein said that forcing fast-food restaurants to publicize nutritional information could have an added benefit.
"I think it is quite likely to pressure chains to make some changes in their product so that they won't have to say that one chocolate shake has 1,160 calories," he said.
The measure is opposed by the California Restaurant Assn. as impractical and overly expensive. Many restaurants already make the information available on their websites or in pamphlets, and offer customers a wide variety of food and portion sizes, said spokeswoman Kearsten Shepherd.
Besides, Shepherd said, even though spending on restaurant meals has gone up, a majority of meals still are prepared at home, and labeling on grocery items hasn't prevented the obesity crisis.
"It's about dietary habits, individual choice, education," she said.
Walt Riker, vice president for McDonald's Corporate Media Relations, said in an e-mail that the chain provides customers with nutritional information on the Web, in-store brochures, tray liners and packaging.
"An objective review of our actions, and the reality inside our restaurants, will clearly show that McDonald's is providing more choice and variety than ever before, that we are providing more information to consumers than probably anyone else," he said.
Goldstein countered that tray liners provide nutritional information for food items only after the customer has ordered. "I'm not sure what the industry expects," he said. "That we'll take our laptop to the restaurant?"
And what about that chicken Caesar salad? If you were dining at a Romano's Macaroni Grill and abandoned the lasagna in hopes of cutting back on fat, you'd be making a mistake.
The chain's website says that the chicken Caesar salad has 69 grams of fat, while the traditional lasagna has 54 grams.
The American Heart Assn. recommends limiting fat to no more than 30% of daily calories, about 73 grams a day or 53 grams a day for sedentary women and the elderly.
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mary.engel@latimes.com
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