A Necessity on Restaurant Menus

Donna Watson, MPH Walden University StudentPUBH 6165-4July 19, 2009

Purpose …‘to inform’…Restaurant Owners of the importance of

nutritional labelingHealthy Choices leads to better healthEating Out and health concernsPositive Effects of Nutritional LabelingPolicy and Law ChangesAdditional Information Resources

Obesity is a growing epidemic in the USA (Hwang & Lorenzen, 2008)

Effects 30% of Adults and 12% of school-aged children More than 300,000 die from obesity/yearMore than $100 billion spent on diet related diseases

Primary contributor ~ eating out (The Nat’l Restaurant Assoc, 2006; AARP, 2004)

48% of food dollars spent on outside eatingPotential restaurant growth ~ potential solution AARP.org, (2004). Nutrition labeling at fast-food and other chain restaurants. July 2004. Accessed on July 15,

2009 from http://www.aarp.org/research/health/healthquality. Hwang, J. & Lorenzen, C. (2008). Effective nutrition labeling of restaurant menu and pricing of healthy menu.

Blackwell Publishing Journal of Foodservice, 19, 270-276. Accessed on July 15, 2009 from http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/12145225

The National Restaurant Association. (2006). Restaurant Industry Fact Sheet. Accessed on July 15, 2009 from http://www.restaurant.org/research/ind_glance.cfm.

Healthy Choices … Better Health

Positive Effects …Nutritional Labeling on the Menu

Beneficial to the Restaurateurs and the Customer (Hwong & Lorenzen, 2008)

Enhances customer confidenceImproves customer’s image of source of

informationIncreases Revenue

Perception of a greater value Willing to pay

Hwang, J. & Lorenzen, C. (2008). Effective nutrition labeling of restaurant menu and pricing of healthy menu. Blackwell Publishing Journal of Foodservice, 19, 270-276. Accessed on July 15, 2009 from http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/12145225

The Labeling Education and Nutrition (LEAN) Act of 2009 (National Restaurant Association, 2009)

Leader ~ National Restaurant AssociationRequires a uniform nutritional labeling

standardProvides a reasonable range of flexibilitySet of guidelines in nutrition calculatingProvides legal protection

The National Restaurant Association (2009). Public policy issue briefs. Accessed on July 15, 2009 from http://www.restaurant.org/government/issues/.

Policy and Law Issues …

In Conclusion …Nutrition labeling on the menu, will -

Promote healthy menu choicesDecrease the prevalence of obesity-related issues Enhance confidence and credibility of sourcesIncrease revenueAbide by the law

Additional Resources …For more research and information:

The American Dietetic Association, www.eatright.org

Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), www.nationalnutritionstandards.com

The Coalition for Response Nutrition Information (CRNI), www.cspinet.org

For labeling assistance:Anresco Laboratories, www.anresco.comConsolidated Label Company,

www.consolidatedlabel.com

Reference List AARP.org, (2004). Nutrition labeling at fast-food and other

chain restaurants. July 2004. Accessed on July 15, 2009 from http://www.aarp.org/research/health/healthquality.

Hwang, J. & Lorenzen, C. (2008). Effective nutrition labeling of restaurant menu and pricing of healthy menu. Blackwell Publishing Journal of Foodservice, 19, 270-276. Accessed on July 15, 2009 from http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/12145225

The National Restaurant Association. (2006). Restaurant Industry Fact Sheet. Accessed on July 15, 2009 from http://www.restaurant.org/research/ind_glance.cfm.