2.29.2008 9:23 AM

SF to Require Calorie Info on Menus

The City Wants You to Know That Big Mac Has 540 Calories

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Photo: Mark Lennihan / AP Photo

By Annie Bell Muzaurieta

A board of supervisors in San Francisco is expected to pass an ordinance requiring restaurants with more than 14 outlets in California to post calorie information next to menu items. The amount of saturated fat, carbohydrates and sodium would also be posted.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, city officials and health advocates are in support of the mandate, but the restaurant industry has raised concerns about its impact on business.

Nathan Ballard, spokesman for Mayor Gavin Newsom, told the paper: "The new menu labeling ordinance does not dictate what a person should or should not order; rather, it provides the tools necessary to make an informed decision."

New York City recently passed a similar mandate, which requires restaurants with 14 or more outlets nationally to post calorie information next to menu items.

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