In the health-care bill that President Barack Obama signed last Tuesday there was a provision that wasn’t heavily publicized.

Chain restaurants will be required to add the calorie count of offerings on menus, menu boards and drive-through displays, as well as vending machines.

The rules will apply to chains with 20 or more outlets with small businesses being exempt.

Fast food restauarants including Wendy’s, Arby’s, McDonald’s Burger King, Hardee’s, Chick-fil-A, Moe’s Southwest Grill and Waffle House, to name a few, will all have to print new menus to comply.

Several states and a few cities already require menus to include calorie information in various forms.

Among the current areas in which menus must contain nutritional information are California, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, New York City and Philadelphia, but the rule only applies to fast-food chains so the industry in general is still getting a free pass when it comes to disclosing calorie information.

Why is this important?  Because 2/3rds of Americans are overweight and 1/3rd are obese.  And 11% of the US population are diabetic, a disease which has clear associations with dietary habits, particularly with type 2.  Rich nations are also the unhealthiest; that is a fact, especially in the case of the US.

Will these reforms be enough to change eating habits?  Maybe not.  But it hopefully will give pause to people choosing menu items that have enough calories to satisfy their daily intake in one sitting.  And the more people are educated about what they should be eating and how much (based on calorie intake) then hopefully those small steps will all add up to a healthier nation.

And maybe also it will become clear that the Caesar Salad with Ranch dressing is not always the “healthy alternative” and that people who want to maintain a healthy weight be aware of their daily calorie requirements and eat accordingly.

Mr JoMo