Title
An Ordinance amending and supplementing the Allegheny County Code of Ordinances, Division 8, entitled "Health Department Regulations," through the creation of a new Chapter 885, entitled "Nutritional Information Posting," in order to require the public availability of nutritional information for various restaurants operating within Allegheny County.
Body
WHEREAS, consumers must have basic nutritional information readily available in order to make informed choices about the food that they, their children, and dependants eat; and
WHEREAS, it is the desire of Council to provide consumers with specific nutritional information, such as calorie content, on menu items in order to enable consumers to make better nutritional choices consistent with their health needs; and
WHEREAS, ensuring informed food choices supports societal public health goals of preventing obesity, diabetes, and other avoidable nutrition-related diseases;
The Council of the County of Allegheny hereby enacts as follows:
SECTION 1. Legislative Findings. The Council finds that:
A. According to the United States Surgeon General, an estimated 300,000 deaths per year in the United States can be attributed to obesity, and an individual's risk of death increases as his or her weight does. Even moderate excess weight (10 to 20 pounds for an individual of average height) increases the risk of death, particularly among individuals aged 30 to 64, while obesity (a body mass index of over 30) increases the risk of death by 50 to 100 percent.
B. Also according to the Surgeon General, the incidence of heart disease (heart attack, congestive heart failure, sudden cardiac death, angina or chest pain, and abnormal heart rhythm) is increased in persons who are overweight or obese. High blood pressure is twice as common in adults who are obese than in those who are at a healthy weight, and obesity is associated with elevated triglycerides (blood fat) and decreased HDL cholesterol (...
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