NYC Eateries Fight For Their Right To Conceal Fat-Count
The citys fast food restaurants have received an [extension] that will allow them to wait until the fall to comply with the groundbreaking new rule that requires them to put calorie information on their menus as prominently as item prices. The regulation, affecting approximately 2,000 eateries here in New York, was expected to be enforced as of July 1, but the [New York State Restaurant Association](http://www.nysra.org/) filed a [lawsuit](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CALORIE_COMPLAINTS?SITE=DCUSN&SECTION=HEALTH&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT) in U.S. District Court in Manhattan on Friday, asking that the rule be declared unconstitutional and that it be awarded unspecified damages. The association argued that the rule would apply only to a small group of restaurants, those fast food eateries that provided nutritional facts to patrons in some capacity as of March 1. Lawyers for the city said Tuesday that they would postpone enforcement until Oct. 1 to give both sides more time to prepare for the legal fight. After that, restaurants that fail to comply will be subject to fines.
As we told you back in March, [Wendys is the rebel] of fast food chains, pulling their calorie information from posters in all NYC locations so as to avoid being subjected to the new regulations. Likewise, Quiznos and White Castle deactivated their web pages boasting the nutritional particulars of their grub. Thats right, you take a stand on your right to sell the public what they request without making them feel awful about it.
Photo courtesy of [klynslis on Flickr]