document: FDA proposes calorie counts on menus 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 . 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 its 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 . '' '' 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 . Alcohol will also be exempted , according to the agency . Margo Wootan , director of nutrition policy at the advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest , says that 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 , '' '' she said . '' `` It will make it seem like they are better choices . '' '' Still , Wootan says the guidelines are a positive step . Story continues below '' `` 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 , '' '' she says . '' `` It will be right there on the menu where you are getting your other information about what to order . '' '' 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 . Menus and menu boards will also tell diners that a 2,000-calorie diet is used as the basis for general nutrition advice , noting that individual calorie needs may vary . The labeling requirements were added to the health bill with the support of the restaurant industry , which is facing a smattering of different laws from cities and states . New York City was the first in the country to put a calorie posting law in place . Since then , California , Seattle and other places have done so . Dawn Sweeney , president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association , said the calorie postings will provide customers with consistent information . '' `` The new standard , '' '' she said , '' `` will help chain restaurants provide the same type of nutrition information to consumers in any part of the country . '' '' Copyright 2011 The Associated Press . All rights reserved . This material may not be published , broadcast , rewritten or redistributed .
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