ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 9 (AScribe Newswire) -- The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) congratulated Yum! Brands, Inc. today for announcing its plan to voluntarily place product calorie information on their menu boards at company-owned KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and Long John Silvers restaurants. Calorie information will be based on individual serving sizes and will be phased onto menu boards beginning this year and completed by January 1, 2011.
"The public health community is delighted to see Yum! Brands, Inc. take this step of providing their customers with calorie information for the food they serve. Before people can make healthier decisions about their nutrition, they must first have good information about the food they are eating, including the number of calories," said Dr. Judy Monroe, ASTHO President and Indiana State Health Commissioner. "Americans spend nearly 50 percent of their food budget in restaurants these days and two-thirds of Americans are currently obese or overweight. Being overweight or obese is a primary cause of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and heart disease."
A recent article in the American Journal of Public Health noted that most consumers cannot correctly guess the nutritional content of fast food. Ninety percent of people in one study underestimated the calories in certain restaurant foods by an average of 600 calories.
ASTHO is committed to working with the business community to fight the obesity epidemic in the United States. As a nation, we spend over $2 trillion dollars every year on health. Ninety-five percent of this money goes toward treatment rather than prevention.
"We must move from a nation of "health care" to a nation of "health," and obesity prevention is a major step and a boon to health conscious consumers. We recognize that the business community must be part of an integrated national system where participants value health and work together to achieve optimal health for all," said Dr. Paul Jarris, ASTHO Executive Director. "We hope the steps taken by Yum! Brands, Inc. encourages other major restaurant chains to make the same decision."
The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) is the national nonprofit organization representing the state and territorial public health agencies of the United States, the U.S. Territories, and the District of Columbia. ASTHO's members, the chief health officials of these jurisdictions, are dedicated to formulating and influencing sound public health policy, and to assuring excellence in state-based public health practice.
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CONTACT: Paula Steib, ASTHO Communications, 571-527-3173
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