FDA MAY WARN: GOING TO THE MOVIES MAY MAKE YOU FAT

The nation’s movie chains are up in arms over proposed FDA regulations that would require them to disclose the calorie count of snacks sold at their concession stands, the Los Angeles Times reported today, noting that a ruling could come as early as today (Wednesday). The ruling would in effect lump movie theaters together with restaurant chains with at least 20 locations, who are required to provide the same sort of nutritional information on their menus as those printed on packaged food items. In an interview with the Times, however, Gary Klein, general counsel for the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), said, “We’re not restaurants where people go to eat and satisfy themselves. … It’s dinner and a movie, not dinner at a movie.” But consumer groups are not swallowing that argument. The Washington-based Center for Science in the Public Interest points out that people are unaware that a large popcorn at a movie contains as much as 1,460 calories. “Just because you happen to be doing something else while you’re eating doesn’t mean that those 1,000 calories won’t stop going to your waistline,” Margo Wootan, director of nutrition police at the center, told the Times.