County seeks comment on menu labeling rules
Multnomah County Health Department is coordinating a rule-making process on the implementation and enforcement of the Chain Restaurant Nutrition Labeling Policy Order, passed in July 2008. The policy requires chain restaurants located in Multnomah County with at least 15 outlets nationwide to post nutrition information for customers.
According to health officials, approximately 500 restaurants in Multnomah County will be affected by the rule, and initial estimates indicate that there are less than a dozen chains in the county not already impacted by menu labeling requirements adopted in other jurisdictions. Technical assistance is available from the health department to help restaurants comply with the nutrition labeling requirements.
The county is seeking comment on draft rules to determine how the menu labeling policy will be executed and enforced. The draft rules are available on the Health Department website at www.mchealth.org or by calling 503-988-3674, ext. 26401.
To provide comment:
Public Hearings:
Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Southeast Health Center
Downstairs auditorium
3653 SE 34th Avenue
Portland, OR 97202
Thursday, November 20, 2008
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
McCoy Building
426 SW Stark St., 10th floor
Portland, OR 97204
Comments may be submitted electronically at www.mchealth.org or in writing to:
Consuelo Saragoza
Chain Restaurant Nutrition Labeling Rule Making Process
Multnomah County Health Department
426 SW Stark St., 8th floor
Portland, Oregon 97204
Posted on October 28, 2008
Comments
(Note: Comments are the views of their authors, and no one else.)
Posted by: Terry Parker - October 29, 2008 11:39 PM
Article I Section 20. Equality of privileges and immunities of citizens in the Oregon Constitution states: No law shall be passed granting to any citizen or class of citizens privileges, or immunities, which, upon the same terms, shall not equally belong to all citizens. A restaurant is a restaurant is a restaurant and since many chain restaurants are small business franchises, it is discrimination to apply this standard to only chain restaurants and give immunity to all other restaurants. The standard must apply to all restaurants or not at all.
Posted by: Jeff Cogen - November 3, 2008 02:48 PM
Actually the standard established by the Supreme Court is that different parties can not be treated differently under the law unless there is a good justification for doing so - the standard is much stricter for classes of people that have been discriminated aginst historically, (which, by the way, does not include chain restauarants) in which case a "compelling" reason is required. In this case, the greater ability of chain restaurants to comply with the menu labeling requirements and the fact that the vast majority of them are already soing so in other jursidictions meets this test.