LEWISTON – How many calories are in that Big Mac?

If you were ordering from a McDonald’s in New York City, you would be able to answer that question.

The Big Apple requires that nutrition information be listed on the menu.

Legislation sponsored by House Speaker Hannah Pingree, D-North Haven, would bring such menu-labeling to chain restaurants operating in Maine, a move she says would help curb obesity among residents.

“Currently, one-third of Maine children and two-thirds of Maine adults are either overweight or obese,” Pingree said earlier this month at her bill’s public hearing. “This legislation is not about policing good or bad choices; it’s about helping people make informed choices.”

The measure would take effect Feb. 1, 2011. It would require chains with 20 or more restaurants nationwide to provide calorie information on their menus, menu boards and food display labels for the food and beverage items they regularly sell. Many nationwide chains have such information available on Web sites or in pamphlets, but Pingree said those don’t help people trying to eat in a rush.

“For the information to be useful, it needs to be seen at the point of decision-making and in a clear format,” she said.

Similar legislation introduced in the past has failed, but supporters say they are optimistic about Pingree’s measure.

“The timing is right; enough stakeholders have come together and we have good support behind this now,” Angela Cole Westhoff, executive director of the Maine Osteopathic Association, said at a Sun Journal editorial board meeting Wednesday.

Westhoff said providing calorie counts is only one means of improving Mainers’ health, but passing the legislation would be a good step in the right direction.

Opponents of the bill argue it would be a burden on businesses to pay for new signs and that it would not do anything to affect obesity.

“We’ve had menu-labeling on grocery items for 19 years and we’re still seeing obesity rise. This doesn’t pass the straight-face test,” said Dick Grotton of the Maine Restaurant Association on Wednesday. “What happens next? Do we tax fat? Do we add scales outside the restaurant?”

Restaurants are in the hospitality business, Grotton said.

“It’s an inappropriate venue to be an education forum,” he said. “We think it should be made available to all who want it, but (we will) resist the temptation of putting in front of customers who may not want it.”

Yum! Brands, corporate parent of Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell, has announced it will begin voluntary menu-labeling on Jan. 1, 2011.

Legislatures in California and Massachusetts have approved measures to phase in menu-labeling. Portland, Ore., along with New York City and a variety of counties nationwide, have implemented similar measures. Federal legislation is also pending.

The House is expected to take up the Pingree’s bill soon.