Putting health on the menu

A new public health measure took effect July 1 in New York City, requiring fast-food and chain restaurants to post calorie information on their menu boards. In California, a similar proposal, SB 1420, introduced by state Sens. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) and Carole Migden (D-San Francisco), is being debated in the Legislature. Although the restaurant industry has lobbied hard for years against menu labeling, it's worth noting that none of the Burger Kings, Wendy's or KFCs in Manhattan have suddenly gone out of business.

What has changed is that New Yorkers are now aware of some surprising facts. They can easily see, for example, that a large order of fries and a cheeseburger at McDonald's has fewer calories than a blueberry muffin and a venti mocha Frappuccino at Starbucks. Prominently giving such information to consumers -- before they place an order -- isn't going to end California's obesity epidemic. But it's a good place to start.

The restaurant chains and fast-food firms argue that mandatory menu-labeling laws restrict their freedom to do business. That's true. But so do laws requiring them to pay a higher minimum wage, post health inspection grades and prohibit smoking -- all of which they vigorously opposed. For more than a century, industry groups in the U.S. have also fought against food-safety and product-labeling laws. Since the days of President Theodore Roosevelt, a strong counter-argument has been made: The health of the American people is more important than allowing companies to do as they please.

The grim statistics of the nation's obesity epidemic give a sense of the public health disaster that's unfolding. Two-thirds of the adults in the United States are obese or overweight. Obesity has been linked to heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, strokes, asthma, diabetes and reduced life expectancy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity is now second only to smoking among the leading causes of preventable death.

And the health of American children is also threatened. During the last 30 years, the obesity rate among American preschoolers has roughly doubled. Among children age 6 to 11, it has tripled. A study of obese children in the U.S., reviewed by the Institute of Medicine, found that 85% already had one or more serious risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The oldest children in the study were 10.