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05-11-09
Effective May 12, chain
restaurants with 15 outlets or more must count calories for
you and post them on all menus and menu boards
Wondering whether to order
the salad or a club sandwich? Starting May 12, Westchester
County government requires chain restaurant menus to count
calories for you and post them on all menus and menu boards.
Some results may surprise you -- that sandwich could contain
fewer calories than the salad that looks so virtuous.
Also, effective May 1, all
restaurant menus and menu boards must include an allergy
notice to encourage restaurant staff to heed customer
concerns about ingredients that could cause allergic
reactions. The menus must read, “If you have a food allergy,
please speak to the owner, manager, chef or your server.”
Both menu makeovers were
rolled out at a news conference today at Cosi in New
Rochelle. Enforcement of both measures begins this month by
the Westchester County Department of Health. Restaurants
that do not comply with either of these measures could face
fines as high as $1,000.
“Food allergies can be very
serious and in some cases can result in death,’’ said County
Executive Andy Spano. “This new law will help to raise
everyone’s awareness – the customers as well as the food
servers and preparers. We want to make sure that the public
is protected, and that food allergies are taken seriously.’’
“When people eat at home,
they have control over what’s in their food, but more and
more people eat out and food allergies are an increasing
concern,’’ said Dr. Douglas G. Aspros, president of the
Westchester County Board of Health, which adopted the
allergy notification as an amendment to the Westchester
County Sanitary Code on Nov. 20, 2008. “This notice will
serve to remind them and restaurant staff that food
allergies are present, they’re real and they’re a danger.’’
“After two years of work to
get this legislation passed, I am thrilled that Westchester
residents will now have greater access to information about
the meals that they eat outside of the home,’’ said
Legislator Judy Myers, D-Mamaroneck, who introduced the
calorie count legislation.
With the new calorie count
legislation, Westchester joins New York City, which enacted
similar legislation last year; Seattle, Wash. and
California, in empowering residents to make healthier
choices. The Westchester County Board of Legislators passed
the calorie labeling law on Nov. 10, 2008 for chain
restaurants with at least 15 outlets, including one in
Westchester. It takes effect May
12.
“Obesity is a serious public
health concern in Westchester, and can lead to chronic
diseases such as diabetes, stroke and hypertension,’’ said
Health Commissioner Dr. Joshua Lipsman. “Seeing the calories
right on the menu will encourage some people to change their
order to reduce their total calorie intake. If enough people
choose lower-calorie options, restaurants will lighten up
their menus and we’ll all be better off.’’
Bob Speirs, regional vice
president of operations for Cosi, explained how the national
restaurant chain saw a need to make lighter menu options
available as customers adjusted their orders in response to
calorie counts on their menus in New York City for the past
year.
“We think it’s important to
offer choices to our guests. By posting the calorie counts
and allergy notification statement on our menus our guests
can make the best informed decisions regarding what they
choose to eat,” said Bob Speirs, Regional Vice President of
Operations for Cosi.
Cosi’s lighter menu options
feature lower calorie versions of some of its most popular
salad and sandwich options, including Signature Salad Light,
Turkey Light Sandwich and a lower calorie version of their
T.B.M Sandwich, all less than 500 calories each.
Dr. Kira Geraci-Ciardullo,
who has an allergy, asthma and immunology practice in
Mamaroneck and is chief of allergy and immunology at White
Plains Hospital Center, along with several of her patients,
discussed what these menu changes mean to them.
More than one in three
Westchester children are obese or at risk of obesity and
more than half of all adults are overweight or obese in
Westchester.
Food allergies are more
prevalent than ever. It is estimated that about 4 percent of
adults and 6 percent to 8 percent of children under age four
have food allergies. Many of these food allergies can be
life-threatening. Food allergies cause 100 to 200 deaths
each year in the U.S. and 30,000 episodes of anaphylaxis
which corresponds to about one death every two to three
years in Westchester and about 100 anaphylaxis episodes
annually, according to The National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health.
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