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Santa Clara County in Calif. mandates labeling

SAN JOSE Calif. Lawmakers in Santa Clara County voted unanimously Tuesday to require some chain restaurants in the section of Silicon Valley to post calorie counts on their menus and menu boards as of Sept. 1.

Local media noted that the action was largely symbolic, since only a handful of chain restaurants in the region would be subject to the law. The measure applies only to units of chains with at least 14 other branches within the state.

The requirement would also be pre-empted by a state labeling measure that is currently under consideration in the California Senate. That mandate, which would give restaurants a choice of ways to display nutritional information, has the support of the California Restaurant Association. It was approved last week by the State Assembly.

Arepresentative of the CRA reportedly spoke out against the Santa Clara bill at a meeting of the county's supervisors. The San Jose Mercury News said the protests of CRA lobbyist Amalia Chamorro and area restaurateurs “were largely drowned out” by calls for the measure by proponents of the measure.

The proposal had been introduced by Liz Kniss, a former nurse, who has asserted that the measure would combat obesity. It was patterned after a measure approved in San Francisco County.

Last month New York City became the first jurisdiction in the nation to mandate nutrition disclosure by chain restaurants. Similar measures are pending in Washington, D.C., Chicago and other areas.

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