moving forward - Policy InitiativesPolicy Initiative No. 10Require Labelingof Menus andPrepared FoodsToday, wespend almosthalf (46percent) ourfood dollarsat restaurants.Adults andchildren aregetting abouta third of theircalories fromaway-fromhomefoods.Children eatalmost twice asmany calorieswhen theyeat a meal ata restaurant(770 calories)compared to ameal at home(420 calories).THE CHALLENGEAnother area of recent interest as a potential strategy to reduce theobesity epidemic is the provision of nutritional information on restaurantmenus and menu boards at fast food and full-service chain restaurants.Research has shown that the increase in obesity is associated withthe increase in the consumption of restaurant foods over the past fewdecades. Additionally, increasing portions of food and beverages servedat restaurants (e.g. “super-sizing”) has become more and more commonin the United States. The restaurant industry is currently not mandatedby federal regulation to provide calorie and other nutrition informationwith food served, in contrast to packaged food products sold in grocerystores and supermarkets. Two-thirds of the largest chain restaurants donot provide any nutrition information to their customers. Some restaurantchains offer information on their web sites, requiring consumers to read theinformation prior to their visit to the restaurant.Today, we spend almost half (46 percent) our food dollars at restaurants.Adults and children are eating about a third of their calories from awayfrom-homefoods. Research shows that children eat almost twice as manycalories when they eat a meal at a restaurant (770 calories) compared toa meal at home (420 calories).Most people significantly underestimate the caloric content of restaurantmenu items and, could benefit from having information about calories,fat content, carbohydrates, etc., for menu items readily accessible.Because menu labeling ordinances have only recently been adoptedin some jurisdictions, there is little research published to document thepossible impact of menu labeling on obesity.NATIONAL SUCCESSRecently, New York City becamethe first major city to implementa menu labeling ordinancethat affects chains with 15 ormore locations. Restaurants likeSubway, Quizno’s, IHOP, andothers are now posting calorieinformation on menu boards inat least some locations.On September 30, 2008,California passed SB 1240 andbecame the first state in the U.S.to require nutrition labelingin restaurants. The legislationrequires that restaurant chainswith 20 or more locations mustpost calorie information on theirmenus and indoor menu boardsby January 1, 2011. BeginningJuly 1, 2009, brochurescontaining either caloriecontent information or othernutritional information, such asgrams of saturated fat, grams ofcarbohydrates, and milligramsof sodium, will be at the pointof sale for consumers.85%of Mississippians support requiringrestaurants to list nutrition information,such as calories, on menus.Maine legislation, HP 878,was passed in 2009 requiring achain restaurant, a restaurantwith 15 or more restaurantsnationwide, to provide accuratecalorie information on its menus,menu boards and food displaylabels for the food and beverageitems it regularly sells. The billalso requires a chain restaurant36
A project funded by the POWER initiativeto state on its menu andmenu boards: “To maintaina healthy weight, a typical adultshould consume approximately2,000 calories per day; however,individual calorie needs mayvary.” The legislation alsoallows a chain restaurant tostate, “Nutrition informationis based upon standard recipesand product formulations;however, modest variationsmay occur due to differencesin preparation, servingsizes, ingredients,or special orders.”<strong>MISSISSIPPI</strong>’S SUCCESSIn an attemptto facilitatenutrition education, schoolmenus including nutritionalinformation are posted at thebeginning of each servingline in all schools in theMcComb, Mississippi, SchoolDistrict. Students and teacherstake advantage of the usefulinformation to make healthierchoices from the day’s offerings.In addition, the menu is postedon the school’s website. At thebottom of each day’smenu is a link toview nutrients.A click onthis link brings up a windowwith the nutritional analysis forthat day’s menu. This feature isnot only helpful for teachers andstudents who are attempting tomake healthier choices, it is alsoutilized by parents of childrenwith diabetes and other healthproblems. The detailed analysisgives the parent the opportunityto review the menu in advanceand guide the child in makingthe right choices for his/herdietary situation.10pounds a year are gainedby eating just 100 extracalories every day.37
Change language