A town in the island resort of Ischia has ordered local restaurants to offer low-cal menus in a bid to get overweight locals to lose their status as the country's leading fatties.
Casamicciola Mayor Vincenzo D'Ambrosio said the town council had decided to approve the ordinance after a report by health officials showed that 51% of youngsters in the southern region of Campania were either overweight or obese.
''These statistics mean we lead the country in percentage of obese youths,'' said the mayor of one of Italy's most attractive seaside resorts.
D'Ambrosio said the province of Naples was also in third place in the country for the number of obese residents.
He said the council agreed it was time to say ''basta'' and face the issue.
''It's extremely important to help everyone learn to adopt a healthy Mediterranean diet and lifestyle,'' said the mayor, who has asked restaurants, pubs and other eateries to indicate calory counts in their menu descriptions.
Casamicciola's council ordinance follows the lead of another Campania town which became the first in Europe to demand that restaurants indicate the calories of the foods they serve.
The July 2 initiative by Ascea Mayor Mario Rizzo, a physician, followed an example set by New York City several months ago.
The New York ordinance, however, was later struck down by a federal court even though some leading fast-food chains had modified their menus to abide by the rule.
The initiative in Ascea is in line with a regional effort to promote healthy nutrition and encourage the consumption of local extra virgin olive oil, fresh fish, fruits and vegetables, all staples in the Mediterranean diet.
The order issued in Ascea was defined by the mayor as a ''precautionary measure'' to combat obesity.
