May 12, 2009

Wondering whether to order the salad or a club sandwich? Starting today (May 12), Westchester County government requires chain restaurant menus to count calories for you and post them on all menus and menu boards. Some results may surprise you -- that sandwich could contain fewer calories than the salad that looks so virtuous.

Also, effective May 1, all restaurant menus and menu boards must include an allergy notice to encourage restaurant staff to heed customer concerns about ingredients that could cause allergic reactions. The menus must read, “If you have a food allergy, please speak to the owner, manager, chef or your server.”

Both menu makeovers were rolled out at a news conference Monday at Cosi in New Rochelle. Enforcement of both measures begins this month by the Westchester County Department of Health. Restaurants that do not comply with either of these measures could face fines as high as $1,000. 

“Food allergies can be very serious and in some cases can result in death,’’ said County Executive Andy Spano. “This new law will help to raise everyone’s awareness – the customers as well as the food servers and preparers. We want to make sure that the public is protected, and that food allergies are taken seriously.’’

“When people eat at home, they have control over what’s in their food, but more and more people eat out and food allergies are an increasing concern,’’ said Dr. Douglas G. Aspros, president of the Westchester County Board of Health, which adopted the allergy notification as an amendment to the Westchester County Sanitary Code on Nov. 20, 2008. “This notice will serve to remind them and restaurant staff that food allergies are present, they’re real and they’re a danger.’’

“After two years of work to get this legislation passed, I am thrilled that Westchester residents will now have greater access to information about the meals that they eat outside of the home,’’ said Legislator Judy Myers, D-Mamaroneck, who introduced the calorie count legislation.

With the new calorie count legislation, Westchester joins New York City, which enacted similar legislation last year; Seattle, Wash. and California, in empowering residents to make healthier choices. The Westchester County Board of Legislators passed the calorie labeling law on Nov. 10, 2008 for chain restaurants with at least 15 outlets, including one in Westchester. It takes effect May 12.       
 
“Obesity is a serious public health concern in Westchester, and can lead to chronic diseases such as diabetes, stroke and hypertension,’’ said Health Commissioner Dr. Joshua Lipsman. “Seeing the calories right on the menu will encourage some people to change their order to reduce their total calorie intake. If enough people choose lower-calorie options, restaurants will lighten up their menus and we’ll all be better off.’’

Bob Speirs, regional vice president of operations for Cosi, explained how the national restaurant chain saw a need to make lighter menu options available as customers adjusted their orders in response to calorie counts on their menus in New York City for the past year.

“We think it’s important to offer choices to our guests.  By posting the calorie counts and allergy notification statement on our menus our guests can make the best informed decisions regarding what they choose to eat,” said Bob Speirs, Regional Vice President of Operations for Cosi.

Cosi’s lighter menu options feature lower calorie versions of some of its most popular salad and sandwich options, including Signature Salad Light, Turkey Light Sandwich and a lower calorie version of their T.B.M Sandwich, all less than 500 calories each. 

Dr. Kira Geraci-Ciardullo, who has an allergy, asthma and immunology practice in Mamaroneck and is chief of allergy and immunology at White Plains Hospital Center, along with several of her patients, discussed what these menu changes mean to them.

More than one in three Westchester children are obese or at risk of obesity and more than half of all adults are overweight or obese in Westchester.

Food allergies are more prevalent than ever. It is estimated that about 4 percent of adults and 6 percent to 8 percent of children under age four have food allergies. Many of these food allergies can be life-threatening. Food allergies cause 100 to 200 deaths each year in the U.S. and 30,000 episodes of anaphylaxis which corresponds to about one death every two to three years in Westchester and about 100 anaphylaxis episodes annually, according to The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health.