NYC Chain Grocery And Convenience Stores Must Post Calorie Counts

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- On Monday, New York becomes the first American city to require grocery and convenience store chains to post calories counts on prepared foods behind the case and at the salad bar.

The regulation impacts stores like Whole Foods, 7-Eleven and Gristedes.

A quick check of Whole Foods found a single Mediterranean turkey meatball will cost you 730 calories, WCBS 880's Marla Diamond reported. That's more than twice the amount of a slice of their pepperoni pizza. Their mac and cheese is 320 calories per cup.

Customers had mixed feelings about the new rules.

"It's hard to enjoy something when you are staring down at numbers," said Emma Tager, who frequently picks up lunch or dinner at Whole Foods.

Mary Jones who shops at a Whole Foods on Columbus Avenue likes the idea.

"You never know what you're getting and think the level and the depth of information that would provide is really going to be helpful to people," Jones said.

In addition, chain restaurants and food retailers will now have to provide full nutritional information like sodium and carbohydrates, not just calories, for standard menu items.

The rule covers all chains with 15 locations or more in the city.

The city will start issuing fines ranging from $200 to $600 beginning Aug. 21.