| Two menu-labeling bills are currently in Congress. To be totally honest, I don't think either of them are strong enough; but there's one clear choice of the two. One is a weak, bare-bones, Applebee's and McDonald's-friendly bill introduced by Tom Carper ("D"-DE) and Lisa "Daddy Appointed Me To The US Senate" Murkowski (R-AK), which is being pushed by industry lobbyists, corporate Democrats and Republicans; while the other was introduced on Thursday by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT).
A quick look at both, below the fold... |
The corporate bill, the ironic and entertainingly-named LEAN Act (yes, it is quite lean...), would simply provide calorie counts on menus, and would override any and all more stringent state, county and municipal regulations across the country. Which is interesting, because I thought those types were for states' rights, and all of that? Smaller federal government? Ah, that's right - that only applies when it's a convenient call to right-wing culture war. Anyways -
The restaurant industry is pushing a competing bill. The Labeling Education and Nutrition Act, nicknamed the LEAN Act, would require chains with more than 20 units to post calorie counts. It also would nullify state and local measures now in effect and preempt future regional measures.
The better of the two, the MEAL Act, is modeled on the California law (the just-passed Massachusetts law is even stronger), and would -
[R]equire fast-food and other chain restaurants to post calories on menu boards and food display tags. The chains also would have to put information about calories, fats, carbohydrates and salt on printed menus.
I honestly don't understand what all the trouble is about here (since when it did become acceptable to legally keep information about what's in our food a secret?), and I'd like to see a strong bill on the matter passed soon. Neither of these bills are it, but unfortunately I think one of these bills will probably pass this session and make any further reform that much tougher.
If we're going to start from one of them though, the MEAL Act is definitely the one to go with. Again, I wouldn't go all out to support MEAL - but I'd definitely send a note, phone call or email to my Senators and Congressperson and ask them to oppose the outrageously undemocratic "LEAN" Act. After all, why should a restaurant be allowed to refuse to tell us what's in our food beyond the calories? And why should Kentucky Fried Money be able to permanently silence the votes of my City Council, or yours? |
