Massachusetts sets "tough fast-food menu rules"

Massachusetts approved the toughest statewide restaurant menu labeling rules in the United States on Wednesday, requiring major chain restaurants to display the calorie content of the food they sell.

The regulations, designed to combat rising obesity, are more comprehensive than those in California, which in September became the first state with menu labeling rules for fast-food restaurant chains such as McDonald's Corp and Yum Brands' KFC, advocates of healthy foods say.

Approved by the Massachusetts Public Health Council, the rules will require restaurant chains with 20 or more in-state locations to post calorie counts next to each item on their menus or menu boards, including those at drive-throughs.

The requirements take effect November 1, 2010, and will apply to 50 restaurant chains with a combined 5,800 locations.

Steve - I wouldn't exactly say this is "tough." To begin with, most Americans have no idea how many calories they should be eating daily. The statute does not require them to post a % of daily calorie value. There are no listings for sodium, saturated fat, or sugar. I bet this legislation took forever to pass. Unfortunately, it really does not mean a whole lot.