Count Your Own Calories!

A district court threw out a piece of legislation here in NYC that required restaurants to display calorie information about meals. My brain and my stomach thank Judge Richard Holwell for striking down the nanny law that has already been covered for the most part by federal health statutes. What makes this case so stupid is that the regulation would have only applied to restaurants that supply the info in the first place. Does the word redundant come to mind here?

From RawStory:

In a ruling Tuesday in Manhattan District Court, Judge Richard Holwell prevented the city from imposing the new regulations, ruling that federal law already provided for much of what the New York law sought to impose.

"This decision highlights some of the flaws in the New York City Board of Health's regulation," Peter Kilgore, acting head of the National Restaurant Association said in a statement after the ruling.

The rules, which would have applied only to restaurants that already disclosed calorie data, "would have attempted to punish the very restaurants that are already providing accurate and comprehensive nutrition information."

"We hope this decision will slow a rush to regulate, and will send a message to regulators and legislators that there must be more thought given to pursuing this complex issue," he added.

Ridiculous legislation abounds here in the city and it is nice to see one piece of it be thrown off the books. Our local representatives should be focusing on issues a little more pressing than how many calories a meal is, especially when the particular restaurant will tell you anyway.