https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Administration


Laws promoting healthy diets see some results

Laws promoting healthy diets see some results

Surveys show ordinances change eating habits.
  • Written by Anne Martin
  • 1st January 2011

Cities and counties throughout the country are passing ordinances aimed at reducing obesity and related health problems. At least some of those laws are changing consumer behavior and are being replicated at state and federal levels.

New York began requiring restaurants to post nutrition information of food on menus in 2008, and several other local governments passed similar laws until Congress approved a law last year that requires restaurants with 20 or more outlets to post calorie counts on menus. In 2009, New York’s health department surveyed 1,600 people and found that 25 percent said the nutrition information affected what they purchased. Also, 36 percent of chain restaurant customers said they always consider calories when making food purchases, an increase from 29 percent before the regulation. Also, Starbucks consumers in New York began switching to lower-calorie food options after the menu labeling law was passed, according to a study released in January 2010 by the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Santa Clara County, Calif., passed a menu labeling law in 2008, and in 2010 it passed a law barring fast-food restaurants from including toys in children’s meals with excessive calories, sodium, fat or added sweeteners. In November, San Francisco passed a similar law.

Studies have not yet shown how the new law is affecting children’s food choices, says Santa Clara’s Health Officer Marty Fenstersheib, but he thinks the law is prompting restaurants to provide more healthy choices. “Burger King and McDonald’s have started offering low-fat milk and apple sticks,” he says.

Fenstersheib says local health laws build momentum for change on a larger scale. He points to Santa Clara County’s menu labeling law, which preceded the state’s and the federal government’s labeling laws. “The actions we take locally have a great impact on the actions that are taken by the state and even by the federal government,” he says.

Will there be a Boston Soda Party?

The restaurant and food industry, along with advocates for limited government, oppose laws like Santa Clara County’s ban on toys in children’s meals. They also contend that some of the measures, such as soda taxes that Baltimore and Philadelphia unsuccessfully tried to levy recently, are aimed at generating revenue more than improving health, says Justin Wilson, senior analyst for the Washington-based Center for Consumer Freedom. “Taxing food is about the worst thing you can do,” Wilson says. “It’s a regressive tax.”

Anne Martin is a Chicago-based freelance writer.

Related Stories

  • Gallup report: Obesity costs cities millions
  • Podcast: San Francisco Supervisor explains kids’ meal ordinance
  • City calls for healthier fast-food children’s meals
  • California county bans toys in fattening kids’ meals
  • San Francisco mayor plans to veto Happy Meal toy ban

Tags: Administration

Most Recent


  • American City & County survey highlights civic engagement priorities in public sector
    In today’s frenetic social media-driven environment, engaging with constituents can be a balancing act—too much interaction and they might tune you out or unsubscribe; too little civic engagement might cause them to disengage with messaging. A survey conducted by American City & County (AC&C) quantifies in data the ways communities are walking this delicate line—leveraging […]
  • Changing recruitment practices can ease retention challenges
    Ahead of the historic investment in American infrastructure, government organizations are facing an unprecedented employment and retention squeeze. But while there’s a lot of economic drivers that are out of administrators’ control, there are certain hiring practices that can soften the blow.  “We’re already constrained in finding the talent we need,” said Elizabeth Kellar, director […]
  • With the digital evolution, equity in accessibility is of utmost importance
    When historians write the history books of tomorrow, they’ll note a sharp divide in the timeline: Pre-pandemic and what came after. This chasm spans industry and locality, impacting just about every aspect of society, such as the way governments interact with constituents in the digital realm. Before stay-at-home orders and mask mandates were issued, residents […]
  • Amid shifting workplace expectations, local government employers must adapt
    Constrained by inflexible budgets, local government employers can’t compete with the lucrative salaries offered in the private sector. And while recruitment has always been a challenge for public employers, the last two years have been especially difficult. From January 2020 to the same month this year, government organizations lost around 600,000 jobs—more than manufacturing, wholesale […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Lessons from your friendly neighborhood public service employees
  • Harris County deploys next-generation security in 150 public buildings
  • How local governments can get ahead of the infrastructure wave: Strategies to mitigate risk
  • Prioritizing rapid restore leads to stronger ransomware attack recovery

White papers


Hand Hygiene: Compliance Matters

23rd May 2022

What it Takes to Build a Winning Esports Program

23rd May 2022

Sixth-Largest US School District Saves Over $500,000 by Utilizing a Cooperative

23rd May 2022
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Infrastructure improvements in cities often feature clean energy or connected technologies dlvr.it/SR6vm8

26th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Ahead of Surfside condo collapse anniversary, Florida’s legislature approves statewide inspection standards dlvr.it/SR6qL7

26th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

American City & County survey highlights civic engagement priorities in public sector dlvr.it/SR3hMS

25th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Changing recruitment practices can ease retention challenges dlvr.it/SQzzPt

24th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

EVs are coming in a big way – Will charging infrastructure be ready? dlvr.it/SQzfL1

24th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Optimizing the 3 stages of RFP creation for faster results | June 16, 2022 at 2 PM ET dlvr.it/SQzV7d

24th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Amid digital evolution, equity in accessibility is of utmost importance dlvr.it/SQwZ3b

23rd May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Hand Hygiene: Compliance Matters dlvr.it/SQwL8f

23rd May 2022

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X