Brookline has always been on the forefront of nanny-state innovation. The town banned smoking in bars and restaurants eleven years earlier than Massachusetts and was the first in the state to ban trans fats. Now, the Brookline TAB reports that 22-year-old Andrew Ghobrial, who you might remember from his unsuccessful 2006 run for selectman, has filed a Town Meeting article that would require each and every one of Brookline’s food service businesses to post the calorie counts for all items on their menus. If passed, Brookline would be the first community in the nation with such a law.
Massachusetts is already considering a law similar to one already on the books in New York City that requires chain restaurants with fifteen or more locations to display their calorie counts. By requiring the participation of every Brookline business that serves food, regardless of size, Ghobrial’s proposal goes much, much further. Predictably, restaurant owners are already opposing it, pointing out that it would be a logistical nightmare and a huge expense. Even Brookline Health Director Dr. Alan Balsam is against the proposal, saying “this would make Brookline completely out of line with every other regulation in the country.” On the one hand, the odds are against Ghobrial. On the other, if there’s any town in the nation that loves exploring new frontiers in paternalism, it’s Brookline, so really, this could go either way.
Article Would Make Brookline First in Nation to Require Calorie Info from All Restaurants [Brookline TAB]
[Photo: Kai Brinker/Flickr]
