With chain eateries posting nutrition info, will America eat healthier?

Will a national requirement for chain restaurants to post calorie counts sound the death knell for bacon cheeseburgers and double-chocolate doughnuts?

The calorie-posting mandate, signed into law by President Obama as part of the health-care overhaul, assumes that diners will feel the culinary equivalent of sticker shock when confronted with calorie counts for greasy, sugary and fatty foods.

Anti-obesity advocates also hope that forcing restaurants to reveal calorie counts will coax the chains to offer healthier options.

Early studies do show some modest changes in consumer behavior in New York City, which enacted its pioneering calorie-posting law in 2008. (Philadelphia has one of the strictest laws, which went into effect this year, requiring nutritional details on the menus at chain restaurants with at least 15 locations nationwide. New Jersey's similar law kicks in next year, and a Pennsylvania-wide bill is under consideration.)

But whether the measure also is pushing healthier items onto menus is less clear.

While chain restaurants have introduced scores of healthier menu items in recent years, most say that the changes are coincidental to calorie-posting laws, an effort to keep pace with consumer demand for healthier items.

Major restaurant chains contacted by the Associated Press cited other reasons for menu tweaks, chief among them the need to satisfy health-conscious customers.

"You hope the calorie posting is going to put pressure on the chain restaurants - because they have to post those calories - to reformulate and make small changes in what they offer," said Cathy Nonas, who directs the New York City health department's physical activity and nutrition programs. "And indeed, we're seeing that. Obviously not with everything, but there are changes in almost every restaurant."

Looking at menu offerings by chain restaurants before and after the city law took effect, Nonas noted that: Dunkin' Donuts launched its lower-calorie DDSmart options; KFC began selling grilled chicken; Starbucks switched to lower-fat milk for espresso-based drinks; and McDonald's cut its serving size for large french fries by 0.6 ounces.

The federal legislation will require chain restaurants with 20 or more locations to include calorie counts on menus, menu boards and drive-thrus. The Food and Drug Administration will have a year to write the new rules, which will supersede local laws.