PORTLAND Ore. Portland may become the next metropolitan area to adopt a menu-labeling requirement if the Multnomah County Commission approves a mandate proposed there.
The commission is scheduled to vote Thursday on a proposal to require restaurant chains with 15 or more units nationwide to post calorie information on menu boards and menus. Other information -- such as fat, carbohydrates and sodium levels -- would have to be made available in stores on request. As yet, the proposal has no specified deadline for implementation, though earlier discussions have suggested early next year.
If adopted, Portland would be the first city in Oregon to require menu labeling. The Oregon Restaurant Association estimates that more than 500 restaurants would be impacted, representing about 100 chains.
The association has opposed the proposed rule, favoring instead a statewide approach that would allow restaurants more flexibility in how they communicate nutrition data.
“We do believe that the information should be in restaurants, but just posting calories doesn’t give the whole picture,” said Kara Thallon, the association’s director of public affairs. “Diet Coke may have only one calorie per serving, where orange juice might have 50, but which would you rather have your child drink?”
New York City, San Francisco and Seattle's King County have already approved some version of nutrition disclosure for chain restaurants.
