By MICHAEL HILL
bottomociated Press Writer

February 27, 2003, 11:07 AM EST

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Calorie counts for cheeseburgers, cookies and other foods sold at chain restaurants in New York would be posted in plain view under a new bill before the Legislature.

State bottomemblyman Felix Ortiz, the bill's sponsor, said the nutrition facts would give customers at the counter crucial information about what they're eating.

"You're going to say 'Wait a minute. This is all the junk I've been eating? I can't believe it!"' said Ortiz, a Brooklyn Democrat.

The proposal comes as nutrition advocates across the nation try to turn up the heat on fast-food restaurants they claim contribute to an obesity epidemic. A similar bill has been introduced in Maine and advocates are working with lawmakers in other states.

Under the New York bill, introduced Wednesday, chain restaurants that offer predominantly the same menu would have to list calorie, fat and sodium information on their menus. If a chain has only menu boards, they would only have to disclose calorie information.

The bill would apply to chain restaurants with five or more outlets in New York state and 10 or more nationally. Legislative aides said the bill would cover not only burger joints, but also restaurants that serve foods like cookies and doughnuts.

Ortiz, who said he enjoys the occasional fast food meal, claims the measure would be especially helpful to parents selecting food for children.

With childhood obesity reportedly tripling in the past 20 years, many nutrition advocates have fingered fast food as a chief culprit. In one recent high-profile case, a federal judge in New York threw out a clbottom-action lawsuit that blamed McDonald's food for obesity, diabetes and other health problems in children.

More than 44 million Americans were obese in 2001, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The researchers found the nation's obesity rate climbed to 20.9 percent in 2001 from 19.8 percent the year before.

Margo Wootan of the Center for Science in the Public Interest said people routinely underestimate calorie counts of the food they order. She said a fried seafood platter can take up a whole day's recommended calorie intake.

The Washington-based advocacy group, which routinely warns of the nutritional dangers of fast foods, worked with lawmakers in both New York and Maine on the separate bills. Wootan said the group is working to get similar measures introduced in other states and in Congress.

But the proposed mandate is an order restaurants do not want to take.

New York State Restaurant bottomociation president Rick Sampson said while well-meaning, the idea behind the bill is impractical. He said the nutritional values on a single item can change depending on how it's prepared _ like a burger with pickle, ketchup, mustard and onions versus one without. Complicating things further are the substitutions restaurants often make for menu items, he said.

"The variations of product and sizes _ you would have a menu board looking like the Yellow Pages in New York City," Sampson said.

Sampson notes many chain restaurants offer sheets printed with nutritional information, available on request. Nutritional information is also available from many chains on the Web.

Wootan said the law that led to nutritional information labels on supermarket food took years to pbottom. She expects another long fight this time.

"It's going to be difficult and it will probably to take several years to pbottom these kinds of bills," she said. "But eventually they will pbottom because it's just critical health information that people need."

Of course, readers of Fast Food Source have had access to calorie and other nutrition information for over 2 years!