Five Guys, PF Chang, California Pizza Kitchen ticketed by food police

Pending legislation requiring chain restaurants to publish the caloric content of their meals -- which often make a mockery of the FDA's recommended daily allowance -- hasn't stopped them from offering patrons sumo-sized portions, based on the artery-clogging finalists in this year's Xtreme Eating Awards.

The awards are conferred annually by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a Washington, DC-based nonprofit health advocacy group that focuses on nutrition, food safety, and pro-health alcohol policies. This year it singled out nine items from seven American chain restaurants.

"One might think that chains like Outback Steakhouse and The Cheesecake Factory might want to lighten up their meals now that calories will be required on their menus, courtesy of the health care reform law signed in March," said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson in a statement. "But these chains don't promote moderation. They practice caloric extremism, and they're helping make modern-day Americans become the most obese people ever to walk the Earth."