Massachusetts set to unveil fast-food menu rules

By Jason Szep

BOSTON (Reuters) - Massachusetts is expected to unveil the toughest restaurant menu labelling rules in the United States on Wednesday, requiring fast-food chains to list how many calories are in the food they sell in a bid to combat obesity.

The state's Public Health Council is expected to vote on Wednesday on regulations making fast-food chains list the calorie counts of their food on their menus or menu boards.

The regulations are expected to be more comprehensive than those in California, which in September became the first U.S. state with menu labelling rules for fast-food restaurant chains such as McDonald's Corp and Yum Brands' KFC.

The action comes at a time of rising obesity in the state and in the United States, and the regulations are intended to allow people to make better-informed decisions about the food they eat.

More than half of the adults in Massachusetts are overweight or obese, according to a 2008 state report that also showed adult obesity more than doubling in 20 years. About 33 percent of Americans are overweight, while more than 34 percent are obese, according to U.S. government figures.

A restaurant calorie information rule took effect in New York City last year, and more than a dozen states are considering similar provisions.

Unlike California, the Massachusetts regulations will cover items at restaurant drive-through windows, where about 65 percent of fast food is purchased, said Judy Grant of the healthy food advocacy group ValueTheMeal.org, citing the most recent draft of the rules.

Massachusetts also will not override regulations in municipalities that impose even stricter labelling rules at fast-food restaurants, she added. In California, for example, menu labelling rules passed in San Francisco, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties were nullified by the state law.