Fast-food restaurants in Kentucky would have to post calorie counts on drive-thru menu boards under a measure being considered in the state legislature.

Sen. Denise Harper Angel, D-Louisville, filed the legislation last week, saying it could dramatically improve the health of Kentuckians by letting them know just how fattening fast food can be.

The measure isn't limited to burgers and fries. It would also apply to menu items offer by any restaurant chain with 10 or more locations in the state.

"It's not a matter of big government trying to tell people what to eat," Harper Angel said. "It's just empowering our consumers with the information to make the best choices for themselves."

California has a similar law, as do the cities of New York and Philadelphia.

The legislation is especially important for Kentucky, which consistently rates among the nation's top 10 most obese states. The Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released a study last year that showed Kentucky's obesity rate had grown each of the previous three years.

That study found that 28.4 percent of Kentuckians were considered obese. Harper Angel said that's reason enough to provide residents of the state with fast-food calorie counts.

Kentucky Restaurant Association President Stacy Roof said her group opposes state-level legislation that could create different rules for national companies to abide by in various locales.

"It's very costly because you have to design those menus, print them and update them," she said.

Roof said her group, like the National Restaurant Association, would prefer that Congress enact a federal law to ensure uniform requirements from state to state.

Louisville-based Yum Brands Inc. has taken a pro-active approach to the issue. The parent of KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Long John Silver's and A&W All-American Food plans to add calorie information to inside menu boards at its company-owned restaurants nationwide by Jan. 1, 2011.

Harper Angel's legislation would go a step beyond by requiring the same information on drive-thru menu boards as well.

American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Elisa Zied heralded the Kentucky legislation as one way to help fight obesity and other dietary diseases.

"There's no downside to this in my opinion," Zied said. "It's a good idea to give consumers more information at the point of purchase. If someone sees that something contains more calories than they thought, they'll think twice about ordering it."

Harper Angel unsuccessfully pushed for a more extensive measure last year that would have required restaurants to provide not only calorie counts but also descriptions of the nutritional value of menu items. She said she's hopeful the bill she filed Thursday won't face as much opposition.

"This is certainly not to tell anyone what to eat," Harper Angel said. "It's to provide them the tools to know what they're eating."