document: Calorie counting on menus to exempt movie theaters Washington • Like it or not , many restaurant diners will soon know more about what they are eating under menu labeling requirements proposed Friday by the Food and Drug Administration . But do n't expect calorie shock when ordering at the movie theater , where a tub of popcorn can contain well north of a thousand calories - movie theaters are exempt , along with airplanes , bowling alleys and other businesses whose primary business is not to sell food , according to the FDA . Movie theaters pushed to be left out after guidelines published last year included them . The requirements will force chain restaurants with 20 or more locations , along with bakeries , grocery stores , convenience stores and coffee chains , to clearly post the amount of calories in each item on menus , both in restaurants and drive-through lanes . The new rules will also apply to vending machines where calorie information is n't already visible on the package . The calorie counts will apply to an estimated 280,000 establishments and could be on menus by 2012 . Required as part of health overhaul legislation signed into law last year , they are designed to give restaurant diners information that has long been available on packaged goods cooked at home . The FDA estimates that a third of calories are consumed by eating out . '' `` We 've got a huge obesity problem in this country and it 's due in part to excess calorie consumption outside the home , '' '' says Mike Taylor , FDA deputy commissioner for foods . '' `` Consumers generally when you ask them say they would prefer to have that information . '' '' The FDA said it will take feedback on the proposed rules before finalizing them , probably by the end of this year . In addition to movie theaters , alcohol will also be exempted , and Margo Wootan , of the nutrition policy at the advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest , says the latter could be misleading to consumers . '' `` I think it 's going to be confusing if customers see the calories for soft drinks and juice labeled on the menu but not other drinks such as beer and wine . It will make it seem like they are better choices . '' '' Still , Wootan says the guidelines are a positive step . '' `` You wo n't have to get out of line and go back to some poster by the bathroom and look at some item in a tiny font size . '' '' The idea is to make sure that customers process the calorie information as they are figuring out what to eat . Many restaurants currently post nutritional information in a hallway , on a hamburger wrapper or on their website . The new law will make calories immediately available for most items . Copyright 2011 The Salt Lake Tribune . All rights reserved . This material may not be published , broadcast , rewritten or redistributed .
extractive_keyphrases: popcorn overhaul legislation convenience juice wine 280000 establishments menu wootan calorie counting alcohol poster margo food nutritional information chain restaurants soft drinks tiny font science hamburger wrapper coffee chains bathroom beer drug positive movie theater fda immediately deputy commissioner obesity thousand calories mike restaurant businesses drivethrough lanes website eating calories washington labeling requirements nutrition policy calorie primary business movie theaters
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