The Delaware Senate passed SB 81 with SA 5 on Thursday by a 15-5-1 vote. The bill will require chain and fast-food restaurants to post calorie counts on menus, menu boards and drive-thrus. Senator Dave Sokola (D) Newark sponsored the legislation because of his feelings about consumers’ right-to-know among many other reasons. On the floor of the Senate during debate Senator Patricia Blevins, Minority Whip, urged her colleagues to support the measure saying, “Who knows that a small milkshake from McDonald’s that you buy your child has more calories than the Big Mac! People should be able to understand the choices they make for their families better.” A coalition jointly led by the American Heart Association and the Delaware Center for Health Promotion hosted a lunch in Legislative Hall to educate lawmakers and the press about why calorie labeling was important by displaying a variety of restaurant fare with surprising calorie counts. View the photos from this event by clicking here.

The bill now goes to the Delaware House of Representatives where it will continue to face stiff opposition from restaurant industry representatives and lobbyists. The Delaware Restaurant Association vehemently opposes the measure instead supporting federal legislation in Congress - legislation which was added to the healthcare reform bills and now appears to be in jeopardy.