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RESOLUTION URGING THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE TO REQUIRE RESTAURANTS THAT HAVE TEN OR MORE LOCATIONS IN FLORIDA TO POST NUTRITION INFORMATION FOR ALL STANDARD MENU ITEMS ON MENUS AND MENU BOARDS

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WHEREAS, restaurants are an important source of food for Miami-Dade County residents: an estimated one third of daily caloric intake comes from food purchased and prepared outside of the home, and this proportion is increasing; and
WHEREAS, assuring that our residents are informed of the nutritional facts of their dining options is a public health priority; and
WHEREAS, obesity is epidemic in the United States and in Miami-Dade County, and is an important risk factor for many chronic diseases including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer and asthma; and
WHEREAS, federally mandated nutrition labeling on standardized food products for sale in supermarkets facilitates informed choice: nearly three quarters of consumers report that they look at calorie information on the Nutrition Facts Panel, and about half indicate that nutrition information affects their food choices; and
WHEREAS, consumers lack easily accessible information to make informed choices when eating in restaurants; and
WHEREAS, nutritional information provided at the time of food selection in restaurants would enable consumers to make more informed, healthier choices and can reasonably be expected to reduce obesity and the many related health problems which obesity causes; and
WHEREAS, cities and counties in Florida are preempted from passing legislation requiring restaurants to display nutritional information on menus and menu boards because the State of Florida currently has exclusive jurisdiction to regulate restaurants pursuant to Chapter 509, Florida Statutes; and
WHEREAS, the Florida Legislature could require that restaurants display nutritional information on menus and menu boards; and
WHEREAS, informing the public of the nutritional information of the food that they consume has the promise of substantially improving the public health, and correspondingly reducing health care costs,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Urges the Florida Legislature to require restaurants that have ten (10) or more locations in Florida to post nutrition information, including calories, fat, and cholesterol, for all standard items on menus and menu boards, with additional nutritional information, such as protein, saturated fat, trans fat, carbohydrates, sodium, cholesterol and vitamins, made available, in writing, at the customer's request.
Section 2. Urges the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, which has regulatory oversight over restaurants in Florida, and the Florida Department of Health to undertake meaningful regulatory and educational measures that keep the public informed as to the nutritional content of the food that they are consuming in Florida's restaurants.
Section 3. Directs the Clerk of the Board to transmit a certified copy of this resolution to the Governor, Senate President, House Speaker, the Chair and Members of the Miami-Dade County State Legislative Delegation, the Secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, and the Secretary of the Florida Department of Health.
Section 4. Directs the County's state lobbyists to advocate for the passage of the legislation set forth in Section 1 above and the adoption of the initiatives set forth in Section 2 above, and directs the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to include this item in the 2008 State Legislative Package.