23 Nov National Menu Labeling Law
We identified three real-world studies of parents` or children`s purchases in response to menu labelling [44–46]. Elbel and colleagues conducted a secondary analysis of a small sample of purchases made by children and adolescents (aged 1 to 17 years) (N = 349) from their New York data and found no effect of labeling [44]. Another study in King County sent gift cards to 75 parent-child pairs in King County (labeling implemented) and 58 in San Diego County (where labeling was not implemented) [45]. The gift cards were intended for restaurants where parents usually ate with their children. Parents were asked to order a typical meal and return their receipt before and after labelling. Questions about what was purchased were clarified in a subsequent telephone survey. The authors found no difference in the energy content of meals purchased for children or parents. However, both studies are limited by small sample size. Another study used sales data to track purchases of a children`s menu at a full-service restaurant operated in a private club [46]. They presented one of four menus for 2 months each, including a control menu without energy content labels, a menu with digital calorie and fat information, a menu with an apple icon next to three healthier meal combinations, and a menu that highlights nutrition bargain prices to help customers choose the best nutritional value for their dollar.
During the study period, 1257 children`s meals were ordered and none of the labels were associated with significantly lower overall energy consumption. This caloric information must appear on the menu board displayed in the restaurant, on drive-thru windows, on menus distributed to customers and in online menus. It should provide calorie information for everything from appetizers and apps to desserts and drinks, as well as additions like sauces. The rules also apply to self-service establishments. Time-limited menu items can be excluded. Menus and menu boards should also provide context by stating that it is recommended that adults consume 2,000 calories per day, but that individual calorie needs vary, according to the FDA`s website. For restaurants serving children, the following statement is acceptable: “1,200 to 1,400 calories per day are used for general nutritional advice for children aged 4 to 8 years and 1,400 to 2,000 calories per day for children aged 9 to 13 years, but caloric requirements vary.” May 7 marked the official start date of often delayed menu labeling laws. It`s been nearly a decade, but restaurants and other food retailers are finally required to include calorie counts on menus and signage.
The rule applies to “any restaurant or retailer that serves food for outdoor consumption with more than 20 locations and does business under the same name. and offer essentially the same menu items for sale” must label their menus and signage with calorie numbers, according to the FDA`s website. Operators must also provide additional nutritional information to customers upon request. See all instructions for menu labeling here. We have PubMed for the first time until 1. November 2015 by entering the terms “menu labeling,” “calorie labeling” and “point-of-sale nutrition labeling” to identify peer-reviewed restaurant menu labeling items. We then applied a snowball search strategy by looking at the references of each item identified in the PubMed search for other relevant articles. We included only studies assessing energy content labels in real-world restoration environments. Studies in adults and children were included. We have included guideline evaluation documents that also require restaurants to post information about additional nutrients like sodium and fat. We identified 16 articles for inclusion.
If you own a restaurant with a growing number of locations, you should familiarize yourself with the FDA`s menu labeling guidelines, as this could impact your business in the near future. Even if you`re a beginner independent restaurant owner, menu labeling is something to think about in our ever-changing health-conscious world. New York State, New York City, and Seattle/King County (WA) had menu labeling policies and campaigns in place to help people make better use of this information. The following campaign summaries include examples, material templates, newsgroup reports, and other tools that you may find useful for running your own menu tagging campaigns. The FDA can be contacted directly on this matter at [email protected]. Finally, the Menu Labelling Act requires restaurants to post two statements. First, information on nutrition facts is available upon request, and second, the generally recommended daily calorie intake is 2,000 calories per day, but needs vary. Finally, two studies that did not control for secular trends also found zero effect of menu labeling.
One study analyzed transaction data in a Chinese fast food chain [42]. The study design included two sets of data collection periods, each lasting 3 weeks. During each series, there was a reference period, followed by an intervention asking customers to reduce the size of their order and save $0.25, followed by another reference period. In the first data collection period, there were no energy content labels. In the second period, labels were introduced. There was a 2-week break between data collection periods with and without menu labels. Data from 399 participants were analysed and no influence of labels on the energy content of the meals ordered was observed. Learn more about how the Nutrition Labelling Act came into being, what it entails, and why you want to incorporate it into your restaurant business strategy. Another study collected pre- and post-labeling data 1 month before and 1 month after implementing menu labeling in New York at two McDonald`s locations (one in Brooklyn and one in Manhattan).
As part of this study, the authors also randomized 1094 adults who entered restaurants into one of three groups: (1) gave a rating with recommended daily calories (2000 for women, 2400 for men), (2) gave a rating with recommended calories per meal (650 or 800), or (3) made no recommendations. Menu labelling was not associated with lower energy content of meals over time, and there was no influence of the recommended additional daily energy information on the energy content of purchased foods [43]. In 2008, New York City required restaurant chains with 15 or more locations nationwide to publish the number of calories on menus in a font and format similar to item prices. Other jurisdictions in New York State and neighboring states did not require menu labeling. Using data from the behavioral risk factor surveillance system, the researchers found that after New York City introduced calorie labeling regulations in 2008, the average body mass index of adult New York City residents decreased compared to that of adult residents of surrounding counties who did not have similar disclosure requirements. This suggests that exposure to caloric information while eating may have encouraged New York residents to monitor and reduce their calorie intake more closely. Better informed food choices, in turn, may have helped these individuals manage their calorie budgets throughout the day and achieve a healthier body weight. The FDA has also developed a training module to help industry, regulators, and consumers understand menu labeling regulations. This online module describes what types of establishments and types of food are covered by menu labelling regulations and how you can comply. The FDA has also published industry fact sheets on menu labeling and calorie reporting. In response to high obesity rates in the U.S., several U.S. cities, counties and states have passed laws requiring restaurant chains to display labels indicating the energy content of foods on menus, and national adoption of menu labeling is expected by the end of 2016.
In this review, we identify and summarise the results of 16 studies that assessed the effects of digital calorie publishing in the real world. We also discuss several controversies surrounding the U.S. Food and Drug Administration`s implementation of state-mandated menu labeling. Overall, the evidence for menu labelling is mixed, showing that labels can reduce the energy content of foods purchased in some contexts, but have little effect in others. However, more data on a range of consumption habits and restaurant reactions is needed to fully understand the impact of menu labeling laws on the diets of the American population. Ellison et al. conducted a 2-week randomized controlled experiment in a full-service restaurant on a university campus [41]. One hundred and thirty-eight customers were randomly assigned to a menu without energy content labels, a menu with digital calorie labels, or a menu with digital calorie labels and green, yellow, and red traffic lights indicating low, medium, and high energy consumption options.