Good morning MPHA members,
MPHA has actively supported many legislative initiatives this session and one that we feel will have a particularly positive and immediate public health impact is LD 1259-An Act to Increase Access to Nutrition Information. This bill will require chain restaurants of 20 or more outlets to post calorie information at point of purchase. We are happy to report that LD 1259 passed in the Health & Human Services Committee by a vote of 9:2- what a fabulous first step!
If you want menu labeling to become law, WE NEED YOUR CALLS TODAY! This bill is now moving to the House and we have heard this will be happening very soon. Please call your House Representative AND Senator and ask them to support LD 1259. You can follow this link to identify your Senator and House Representative get his or her contact information : http://www.maine.gov/legis/legislature.htm
For more information on LD 1259 go to http://janus.state.me.us/legis/LawMakerWeb/summary.asp?ID=280032306. Also included below is MPHA's testimony (text only) that we provided at the public hearing.
Thank you for your committment to this issue!
Testimony of Tina Pettingill, MPH
On behalf of the Maine Public Health Association
In support of LD 1259 ~ An Act To Increase Access to Nutrition Information. Presented by Senator Hannah Pingree.
Good afternoon, my name is Tina Pettingill and I am the Executive Director of the Maine Public Health Association (MPHA). I am here today to testify in support of LD 1259 and a consumers’ right to know.
The Maine Public Health Association supports this bill for several major reasons.
*LD 1259 will help people make more positive nutritional choices when eating out. We have learned from New York City studies that 82% of customers report that menu labeling makes a difference in their ordering. In addition, studies demonstrate that 75% of people report using nutritional labels on pre-packaged food- demonstrating that a majority of people will use menu labeling to make informed and more healthy choices.
*LD 1259 has a high cost-benefit ratio. Menu labeling policies have been passed in over 10 jurisdictions across the United States with no negative impact reported thus far. On the flip side, over $350 million is spent every year in Maine alone on medical expenditures attributable to obesity – a burden all Maine people and businesses ultimately bear. If a low-cost measure such as LD 1259 that gives people information about the content of the food they are consuming and this ultimately helps curb the obesity rates and reduce chronic disease, then it simply must be done.
*People want menu labeling! 83% of Americans want restaurants to provide nutrition information, such as total calories, yet only half of large chain restaurants provide this information.
People have a right and a need to know what they are consuming. From people struggling with chronic disease such as diabetes and heart disease to people who are trying to avoid those diseases to the person just being diligent about their food choices for their family, menu labeling is a good public health measure. LD 1259 does not tell people what to do or what to eat, but gives them the freedom to be able to make informed choices. On behalf of the almost 300 members of the Maine Public Health Association, I urge you to support LD 1259.
Now that you're done reading, go ahead and make your phone calls! 
