Association of State and Territorial Health Officials Adopts Position on Menu Labeling
(Arlington, VA) August 27, 2009 - Fast-food and other chain restaurants across the nation should be required to provide calorie information at the point where consumers make a decision about what they will purchase, according to a position statement adopted by the Association of State and Territory Health Officials (ASTHO). An easily readable list of saturated and trans fat (combined) and sodium contained in standard menu items should also be available said ASTHO.
ASTHO Executive Director Paul E. Jarris, MD, MBA, said, “Our food choices can contribute to chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, hypertension and heart disease. The purpose of implementing menu labeling, trans fat bans, and sodium reduction policies is to provide critical information to consumers so that they can make informed decisions about the foods they eat.”
Dr. Jarris added, “We hope that menu labeling will lead to product reformulation by food manufacturers in much the same way that disclosing trans fat content on food labels has encouraged many large manufacturers to eliminate trans fat in their competition for health-conscious consumers.
The Association, which represents the chief health official in each state and U.S. territory, noted that, historically, states do not support federal pre-emption of state law. However, for the sake of national uniformity, ASTHO has come out in favor of requiring restaurants that use menu boards to provide calorie information with the same font size as the food title and price on their menu boards at the point of decision-making. ASTHO has also called for menu labeling policies to be applied to establishments with 20 or more locations doing business under the same name or that are affiliated and substantially selling the same menu items.
ASTHO would also like to see menu-labeling promoted beyond chain restaurants and federal funding made available to states if they have responsibility for enforcing menu labeling policies.
“Menu labeling can be a powerful tool if people are taught how to use it to make healthy choices,” said Dr. Jarris. “A partnership between public health and the restaurant industry could improve nutritional quality and go a long way toward addressing the obesity epidemic in the United States.”
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About ASTHO
ASTHO is the national non-profit organization representing the public health agencies of the United States, the U.S. Territories, and the District of Columbia, as well as the 120,000 public health professionals these agencies employ. ASTHO members, the chief health officials of these jurisdictions, are dedicated to formulating and influencing sound public health policy and to assuring excellence in state-based public health practice.
Contact: Paula Steib, 571-527-3173 Mobile 703-439-8259 or psteib@astho.org