Americans spend almost half of their food dollars on away-from-home foods, compared to 1970 when Americans spent only a quarter of their food dollars on restaurant meals and other foods prepared outside the home. Faced with a growing obesity epidemic and concerned about the inadequacy of voluntary nutritional menu postings, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors last week unanimously approved a menu-labeling ordinance for unincorporated Santa Clara County.

The ordinance requires chain restaurants with 14 or more locations in California to prominently post the calorie and nutritional information of their menu items on their menu boards in plain view for the public, including saturated fat, trans fat, carbohydrates and sodium. The ordinance, aimed at battling chronic obesity, will go into effect on Sept. 1.

"Obesity is epidemic in our county and in our country," said Supervisor Liz Kniss, chair of the board's Health and Hospital Committee. "Menu labeling is one more tool to help people make smarter choices for better health."

Studies show that restaurant foods contain almost twice the number of calories estimated by consumers.

"About three out of four adults in the United States say they use nutritional labels

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on package foods," said Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, health officer for Santa Clara County. "Posting nutritional information helps people eat a more healthy diet. Calories and fat content aren't hidden so people have information they need when ordering meals."

Approximately two-thirds of the largest chain restaurants fail to provide any nutritional information about their menu items to customers. Those that do provide such information often do not do so at the point of sale, but rather on Web sites or in brochures available only by request.

According to the Santa Clara County Public Health Department:

Studies show that the use of food labels is associated with eating more healthful diets

Almost half of consumers report that the information provided on food labels has caused them to change their mind about buying a food product

With nutrition information, consumers are 24 percent to 37 percent less likely to select high-calorie items.

Supervisor Pete McHugh, who represents Berryessa, supported the ordinance with the hope that it will encourage the legislature to take similar steps to implement menu labeling statewide.