SAN JOSE Calif. Santa Clara County’s Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to ask county health officials to draft an ordinance that would require local chain restaurants to post calorie counts on menus and menu boards.
Other areas, including San Mateo and San Francisco counties, are considering similar proposals, Santa Clara supervisor Liz Kniss was quoted as saying in local media reports. Kniss proposed the action within her county, an area also known as the Silicon Valley, as a way of battling obesity.
Astatewide menu-labeling bill that would have required restaurants with 15 or more units to post nutrition information was vetoed in October by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who said the legislation would have placed undue burden on some restaurant owners.
Details of the proposed ordinance in Santa Clara County have yet to be worked out, but Kniss said she would push for calorie labeling for restaurants that are part of a chain with 15 or more units.
