Finally on February 1st, fast-food chains in Philly will be required by law to post nutritional information on their menu boards. Other cities and states have done this in recent-ish history: New York City in the spring of 2008, and the states of California, Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon, and New Jersey (only last month). The penalties for non-compliance (non-listing) range from $50-$100 for a first time offense and then increase to $250-$500 for future offenses.

Even the thickest of skulls and stomachs can confirm that a burger, fries, and coke large value meal is unhealthy, but to see the calorie count of a Big Mac meal is a bit jarring: 1170 (of your daily intake, which is that 2,000 count). We are surprised that this law-listing isn’t already in effect (and many McDonalds do list nutritional information in the restaurant, somewhere). Nevertheless we’re glad to see law makers stepping forward on this one.