Maryland county to require menu labelingMaryland county to require menu labeling

Paul Frumkin

ROCKVILLE Md. Montgomery County Council members passed a measure Tuesday requiring some restaurants to post calorie counts on menus and menu boards.

The law, which was passed by an 8-1 vote, requires restaurants in the Maryland county with 20 or more outlets nationwide to post calorie counts alongside food items and provide additional nutritional information to customers upon request.

The law exempts supermarkets, convenience stores and movie theaters.

Melvin Thompson, senior vice president of government affairs for the Restaurant Association of Maryland, called the passage of the bill "almost mind-boggling."

"We're obviously very disappointed," Thompson said. "Sometimes this council passes measures because they are politically popular, not because they make the most sense."

RAM officials had earlier told county officials that they strongly supported bipartisan federal legislation "that reflects a negotiated compromise between representatives from both sides of this debate." Provisions reflecting the compromise bill -- known as the Labeling Education and Nutrition, or LEAN, Act -- have been attached to both the House and Senate versions of the health care reform bills.

"It was clear the sponsor was targeting our industry, and unfortunately the restaurants in Montgomery County will have to incur the cost of redesigning their menus to comply with local law and then do it again once a federal law has been enacted," he said. "It's an unnecessary double expense for our industry."

The county health department estimates that about 640 restaurants in Montgomery County will have to comply. The law goes into effect July 1, 2010.

Montgomery County joins a number of other jurisdictions that have passed menu-labeling laws, including New York City; Philadelphia; Nashville, Tenn.; New York's Albany, Westchester, Suffolk and Ulster counties; Oregon's Multnomah County, which includes Portland; and Washington's King County, which includes Seattle.

Contact Paul Frumkin at [email protected].