FAST food chains would be forced to publish information on calorie, fat and salt content in menus under a NSW Government proposal to tackle obesity and other "lifestyle diseases".
NSW Premier Kristina Keneally is pushing for national changes to menu labelling in fast food chains, saying consumers deserve more detailed nutritional information.
Under the plan, to be submitted to the national Blewett review into food labelling, NSW wants fast food chains to print calorie/kilojoule information and details about saturated fats, transfats and salt on their menus.
Ms Keneally said such information would make consumers more informed about what they eat and combat a "supersize" culture now prevalent at many fast food restaurants.
"Consumers need the full picture of what it is they're ordering and the effects it has on their health," Ms Keneally said.
"In particular, this initiative is becoming more important as we see the supersize trend occurring in fast food chains.
"For very little additional cost (consumers) can get a larger meal. The information they are not getting is what that's costing them in terms of their health."
The NSW proposal is influenced by changes overseas, such as a New York system which applies to fast food chains with more than 15 outlets.
Ms Keneally said NSW had yet to decide what would constitute a chain under its mandatory approach.
However, she assured the state's individually-run restaurants and cafes they would be exempt.
"We certainly don't want to add a regulatory burden to every mum and dad fish and chip shop," she said.
Heart Foundation CEO Tony Thirlwell said he supported the move to provide information at the point of sale.
"(We) support any initiative that will genuinely help Australians to make healthier food and drink choices for themselves and their families," he said in a statement.
"Considering that 2.6 million Australians eat at a large fast food chain every day it's a good place to start.
"People deserve to know what they're eating."
Mr Thirlwell said Australians were eating too much saturated fat, with one in five kids and half of adults overweight or obese.
"All of which puts them at a greater risk of heart disease, Australia's number one killer," he said.
The Heart Foundation has provided a submission to the national review on food labelling chaired by Dr Neal Blewett.
It calls for a national, mandatory labelling scheme to be introduced in fast food chains with more than 20 outlets, Mr Thirlwell said.
The Blewett review's final report into food labelling will be published in early 2011.
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