Chain Restaurant Nutrition Labeling: Information for You to Chew On

By: NWHF Staff | Posted on: July 22nd, 2008 | 5 comments | Share: Tweet This!
Categories: Policies & Laws • Food & Nutrition • Public Health

Chain Restaurant Nutrition Labeling: Information for You to Chew On

Which McDonald’s item has the most calories? A Big Mac? A large Fries? Or a large milkshake? If you guessed the Milkshake, you are correct. In fact, a large milkshake contains more calories (1160) than a Big Mac (540) and Large Fries (500) combined. If you didn’t get the answer correct, don’t feel so bad. A California poll asked 523 respondents four similar questions, and not one person was able to answer all four questions correctly.

Multnomah County Commissioners will consider a proposal that would require chain restaurants to post calorie information next week. The proposed rule would require restaurants and coffee shops operating in Multnomah County with 15 or more stores nationwide to display calorie counts on menus or sign boards beside each regular menu item, including beverages. Commissioner Jeff Cogen is leading the charge, and even has pictures of what menu labeling looks like on his blog. Fast food and chain restaurant menu labeling policies have been passed in Seattle/King County, San Francisco, and New York City.  A study in the American Journal of Public Health last month found that in New York City, people consumed 52 fewer calories (on average) when fast food restaurants posted calories on the menu boards at the time of purchase.

It’s not necessarily just public health experts who think this is a good idea. The public consumer wants this information. The Northwest Health Foundation’s Community Health Priorities initiative commissioned a poll in December 2007 about this topic. We asked 500 Oregonians their support for a policy requiring fast food and restaurant chains to post the number of calories of food items on their menu boards to be available at the point of sale. In Multnomah County, 72% of respondents support a policy to display nutrition information. Statewide, 69% of respondents supported this idea.

According to this week’s Willamette Week article, “some restaurateurs and industry lobbyists are already throwing dishes, saying the rules are intrusive, pose too big a burden, and are misguided when the county can’t even repair the Sellwood Bridge.”  But our same poll also found that a majority of Oregonians believed that is the role of government to make available information for individuals to make better, responsible choices, and that it’s the role of government to ensure nutritional foods are available in our neighborhoods.

What do you think? Would you find this information useful the next time your found yourself at a Starbucks, Subway or Burgerville? Or did you not want to know that there are 750 calories in a venti Strawberry and Crème Frappuccino?
image



5 Comments:

1  Posted by chiropractic on January 4th, 2009 at 03:54 AM

Great great great effort here! Thanks for providing. Would be awesome to include contact information so we could badger some of the non-compliant people.

2  Posted by Mel Rader on July 25th, 2008 at 06:47 PM

This policy has already gone into effect in New York City, and many people there are shocked at the calorie contents of menu items.  It is especially the kids menus that are distressing.  The Center for Science in the Public Interest will be releasing a report on Wednesday about the nutritional content of kids menus.

I think people have a right to order whatever food they want, but they also have a right to know the nutrient content of foods when they eat out.

The Multnomah County proposal would make the calorie information right there on the menu but make other information available upon request including saturated fat, trans fat, sodium and carbohydrates.

We should encourage the Multnomah County Commission to pass this proposal to help disclose nutrition information in the county and spur the state legislature to take action.

3  Posted by hau on July 25th, 2008 at 12:48 AM

Why stop there?  Fat content and other nutrional labeling would be also helpful.  I often will look at nutritional labeling especially when I have to succumb to feeding my kids fast food to make more “healthful” decisions. More aware consumers know that it’s the fat and sugar that make things taste better, but it’s nice to have a 750 calories staring you in the face next time your tempted to indulge in a venti frappuccino. It certainly would make you think twice!

4  Posted by CHP Admin on July 24th, 2008 at 06:05 PM

The advocacy group Upstream Public Health has some great information on their website about this effort: http://www.upstreampublichealth.org/menulabeling.html

5  Posted by Joe on July 24th, 2008 at 03:31 PM

While I was not a huge fan of this idea initially, it really makes a lot of sense to me. The level of obtrusiveness is very small amd economically, I see only benefits. Healthwise, a person becomes more aware of what they are eating and therefore, better able to exercise a choice. Economically, a smart company/ restaurant can adjust the menu/ choices to fit that demand.



Join the conversation. Leave a comment.

Name: (required)

Email: (required) will not be published

Location:

URL:

Remember my personal information

Submit the word you see below:


Next entry: Healthy Places, Healthy People: An Inteview with Andrea Durbin
Previous entry: Help us out here: What are the health impacts of the proposed I-5 bridge crossing?

Back to main