UPDATE: Ore., Conn. lawmakers pass menu-labeling billsUPDATE: Ore., Conn. lawmakers pass menu-labeling bills

Lisa Jennings

Lawmakers in both Oregon and Connecticut adopted menu-labeling mandates Monday night, reflecting the growing support for more disclosure of nutrition information in restaurants.

In Maine, a statewide menu-labeling bill also progressed after a House of Representatives vote there, though further action by both the state House and Senate are reportedly required.

In Salem, Ore., a bill requiring chain restaurants throughout the state to post calorie counts on menus, menu boards and drive-thru signage beginning in 2011 won a 21-7 vote of approval by the Senate. The measure is expected to go to Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s desk within about two weeks, and he is expected to sign the bill.

The legislation, House Bill 2726, also requires restaurant companies with 15 or more outlets nationwide to make available to consumers on request written information about the typical value of carbohydrates, saturated fat, trans fat and sodium associated with menu items beginning Jan. 1, 2010. Violators would face fines of up to $1,000.

The Oregon Restaurant Association dropped its opposition to the bill when it was amended to preempt all local labeling regulations, including those in Multnomah County, where a menu-labeling mandate was adopted last year.

The statewide bill is very similar to that of Multnomah County, which includes Portland. The county law went into effect March 12, although restaurant operators had until the end of the year to comply. If the state bill is signed into law, Multnomah County operators will have another year to comply with the calorie postings.

In Connecticut, a menu-labeling bill there saw final approval in the House of Representatives Monday, reportedly with an 89-to-60 vote. That bill would also require restaurant chains with 15 or more units to post calorie counts on menus and menu boards, including drive-thrus, starting in July 2010

According to The Harford Courant, Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell has not indicated whether she will sign the bill.

If the governors of Oregon and Connecticut sign their respective mandates into law, their states will join California and Massachusetts on the growing list of states where statewide menu-labeling laws have passed.

Other states considering menu-labeling legislation include Oklahoma, Indiana, Florida, Hawaii, Kentucky, Minnesota, New York and South Carolina.

New York City last year became the first jurisdiction to enforce a calorie-posting rule at chain restaurants with 15 or more locations. Westchester County in New York, King County in Washington, and Philadelphia have also adopted nutrition disclosure regulations.

In addition, federal lawmakers have introduced two versions of a menu-labeling requirement at the national level.

Bill Perry, vice president of government affairs for the Oregon Restaurant Association, expressed optimism that federal legislation requiring menu labeling would be adopted this year and that it would override the varying state-level mandates.

“I don’t believe [nutrition disclosure] is going to change consumer behavior,” he said. “But for it to be useful to consumers, there has to be a uniform standard” that would apply the same way across jurisdictions.

Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected].