This document discusses the need for menu labeling in restaurants to address the obesity epidemic. It provides evidence that larger portion sizes, eating out more often, and underestimating calorie amounts are contributing factors. Studies show that providing calorie counts on menus can influence consumers to select lower-calorie options. Recent US legislation now requires chain restaurants with 20 or more locations to post calorie counts.
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Restaurant Menu Labeling Jabri J 052110
1. Restaurant Menu Labeling Tackling One Environmental Factor Contributing to the Obesity Epidemic Jennifer Jabri, PhD Student Walden University PUBH 8165-1: Environmental Health Instructor: Dr. Rebecca Heick Spring, 2010
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My name is Jennifer Jabri and I am a Public Health PhD student at Walden University with a concentration in community health promotion and education. Thank you for taking the time to learn more about the need for restaurant menu labeling and the possible impact on the obesity epidemic. This presentation is targeted to owners of smaller restaurants with less than 20 locations, and to the general public who eat about half of their meals outside of the home.
American’s buy nearly half of our meals “prepared and consumed elsewhere” (Mikkelsen, Ericksen, & Nestle, 2007, p. 292). Restaurants tend to serve larger portions of higher fat and higher calorie foods. That is a significant number of meals consumed without knowing the calorie content, fat grams, sodium content, or other nutritional information.
One contributing factor to the obesity epidemic is the fact that we are eating larger portions than we did 20 years ago, which means that we are ingesting many more calories, which contributes to weight gain. These are just a few examples to illustrate the changes in portion size and the resulting caloric increases. We have come to think of these new, larger portion sizes as normal.
If we are eating half of our meals outside of the home, then half of our meals tend to be larger than what we would serve ourselves at home. It is recommended that an adult eat around 2,000 calories a day. In one study, a third of the customers at a minimum of 1,000 calories, so at least half of the day’s recommended calories were obtained from one meal. So, it is easy to see how one could overeat and gain weight.
Packaged foods are required to have nutritional labeling. Our restaurant menus should also have some nutritional information available to the consumer in order for them to make informed decisions regarding their food choices. Surveys have found that most Americans support this.
Over 68% of Americans are overweight or obese (Flegal, Carroll, Ogden & Curtin, 2010), which means that less than one-third of Americans are at a healthy weight. In 2007-2008, it was estimated that 5.7 percent of Americans aged 20 years or older were extremely obese with a BMI greater than 40 (Flegal et al., 2010). This equates to approximately 17,597,343 million extremely obese Americans (from the current population) up from 11.5 million in 2002 (Hensrud & Klein, 2006). According to Hensrud & Klein (2006), the prevalence of extreme obesity has been increasing twice as fast as obesity in general” (p. S6).
The Centers for Disease Control created these maps to illustrate the dramatic changes in the levels of obesity over the time period of 1986-2008. As of 2008, the state of Colorado was the only state with an obesity prevalence less than 20 percent. In 1986, there were no states that had obesity levels above 14 percent, and now every state except Colorado has an obesity prevalence above 20 percent of the population, with a handful of states even having prevalence rates above 30 percent. This does not include all of the overweight people!
There have been many studies that have found that consumers make healthier choices when they are informed consumers by having nutritional information available to them to aid their decision making. In one particular study, those who had menus without nutritional information at several hundred calories more than participants who received menus with nutrition information.
Some industry representatives argue that many restaurants do make nutritional data available, but the fact is, only about half of chain restaurants offer nutritional information and it is oftentimes not accessible as is located in a non-visible area, or the patrons must ask for it ( 1,2). If it is not visible, many people will not think to look for it ( 1,2). In an observational study, they reported that, “Only 6 (0.1%) of 4311 patrons accessed on-premises nutrition information before purchasing food. This very small percentage suggests that such information should be more prominently displayed, such as on restaurant menu boards, to help customers make informed decisions” (p. 820) (3).
Menu labeling would be required for standard food items on the menu, not for specially ordered dishes, or for specials that are on the menu for a brief period of time. It would include the number of calories “clearly associated with each standard menu item”, a statement regarding recommended daily caloric intake limits for adults, and have written nutritional information available to patrons.
“ Many chain restaurants already analyze the nutritional contents of their menus. Changing menu boards is a one-time cost” (p. 7).
Menu labeling requirements would be standardized between locations because it would make them subject to federal regulations rather than different local, county, or state regulations, which is important for chain restaurants with locations across the country.
Nutritional labeling on restaurant menus will help people know exactly what they are eating and hopefully influence them to choose healthier options to control the fat and calories they consume. This may be a form of primary prevention of overweight and obesity. It may also cause restaurants to offer healthier options and alter some of their recipes.
There have been many menu labeling laws passed in various locations around the country, from city and county level, to the state level. However, these laws vary.
In March 2010, President Obama signed into law the new healthcare reform bill (H.R. 2590) to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics act (Section 4205), which had menu labeling requirements for chain restaurants with 20 or more locations. 1 Small businesses are exempt from this. The National Restaurant Association supported this bill because it benefits consumers in making informed food choices and it benefits the restaurants by protecting them from lawsuits.
While smaller restaurants are exempt from these requirements, it is beneficial for them to opt in and adopt the practice of the larger restaurants, which would require them to follow federal standards. At the least, calorie contents should be posted on nutritional menu labeling. Once menu labeling becomes mainstream, then customers will begin to expect this nutritional information to be available.
Following federal menu labeling laws can protect small restaurant owners from lawsuits, and it benefits consumers as it is a step towards a healthier and less obese America. Thank you for your time.
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