Politics & Government
Quinn Calls for Regulation of ‘Unhealthy Food Marketing’ at Chain Restaurants
The Council Speaker says calorie, sodium and fat content in kids' meals is way too high
In a nod to Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s approach to public health, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, D-Manhattan, proposed that the city's Board Of Health or the City Council begin regulating the calorie, sodium and fat content in kids’ meals at chain restaurants, NY1 reports.
"Applebee's is having a big problem here: Their children's meal is way more than the USDA thinks a child should have in one meal for saturated fat," Quinn said on Monday.
For example, she pointed to an Applebee’s grilled cheese sandwich with fries, which contains 21 grams of saturated fat — three times what the federal government allows in elementary school meals.
Quinn’s proposal may appear to some as a flip-flop from her earlier position on calorie regulation. Last year, she offered no support for Bloomberg's plan to restrict the sale of large sugary drinks, for which she once proclaimed, "The person who doesn't now understand why it’s bad to drink 18 ounces of sugared soda is simply going to get two 10-ounce sodas."
But the speaker said her plan is different because parents can decide to feed their children whatever they like, while restaurants will be prohibited from marketing unhealthy food to its youngest patrons.
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