NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen has vetoed a bill that would prohibit Tennessee cities and counties from requiring restaurants to provide calorie counts on menus.

The governor said in a letter Wednesday to Republican Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey of Blountville that Tennessee faces an epidemic of obesity that's continuing to grow at a rapid rate.

Bredesen cited a recent report from Trust for America's Health research group that shows 30 percent of Tennessee's adult population is obese, the fourth highest percentage in the country. In the case of the state's children, 37 percent are obese, which is the fifth highest percentage of obese children nationwide.

Bredesen said the prohibition would "irresponsibly limit our state's ability to fight this epidemic."

The governor said he hopes the General Assembly will reconsider the issue next year.

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Read SB1092 at: http://www.capitol.tn.gov

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