Editorial: Menu nutrition labels worth a look

Philly cheese steaks aren’t healthy. But if you’ve ever really wondered just how… Philly cheese steaks aren’t healthy. But if you’ve ever really wondered just how high the nutrition numbers are and you live in Philadelphia, you won’t have to estimate, ask or strain your eyes over tiny nutrition labels any more.

Earlier this week, Philadelphia initiated its new menu-labeling law. It requires chain restaurants to list caloric content of all food items directly on the menu boards. But that’s just the start of it.

While other U.S. cities have started similar labeling policies, Philadelphia’s is the most stringent, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. Beginning on April 1, restaurants — not just chain restaurants, but sit-down and independent restaurants — will have to list extensive nutrition information of food items in their menus. The list includes saturated fats, trans fats, sodium, carbohydrates and of course, calories. Philadelphia has taken a commendable step toward bettering residents’ health — or at least has made it possible for them to make more health-conscious choices. But the action comes at a critical time.

Philadelphia City Council approved this policy in 2008. Those cheese steaks have taken on a toll on the city’s bloated waistline: Approximately one-third of Philadelphians are obese, which is about on par with national obesity rates. Council members saw other disturbing data that prompted their decision. Broken down by district, 13 percent of residents are diagnosed with diabetes while 36 percent have high blood pressure — percentages that are above national rates.

Donuts are calorie-dense and high in fat — everyone knows that. But not everyone knows exactly how calorie-packed and fattening, or otherwise detrimental to health, some prepared foods are. Yes, nutrition information — at least in chain and fast-food restaurants — is generally available online or upon request, but who really takes the extra step to access that information?

Not many U.S. cities have passed labeling laws. New York was the first to pass such a law, yet Philadelphia is only the fourth to implement the labeling policy. The only real burden in enacting such a regulation rests on the independent restaurant owner, should a city require all restaurants to provide the data. Independent restaurant owners would have to revise menus extensively and calculate nutrition information. Some of their more unhealthy menu items might not have the loyal following of, say, McDonald’s Big Mac, which probably won’t be going anywhere anytime soon despite menus that bare all. Still, if more cities passed labeling policies even in chain restaurants, that would mark significant progress. The Allegheny County Health Department said it did not know of any such labeling policy coming to Pittsburgh, and City Councilman Doug Shields did not immediately return a request for comment.

According to a 2003 study in the journal Science, if a significant number of individuals ingested 100 less calories per day — or expended 100 more calories per day — weight loss could be fast-tracked on a national level. According to a 2007 article published online in Forbes magazine, Pittsburgh didn’t appear on the list of America’s 20 most obese cities, nor did Philadelphia. But there are plenty of colleges in the Pittsburgh area, and college students are notorious for unhealthy diets and quick, on-the-go snacking and meals. College can cause positive lifestyle changes, even though it seems most attendees are prone to weight gain. Even if surprising nutrition stats don’t sway everyone, they expose hard numbers that will inevitably result in some healthier choices.