Menu nutritional labeling: a must-do for public health

Posting calories on menus, along with the reminder that most adults require only about 2,000 calories a day, is one of the important steps that the government can take to help promote and enable more healthful eating.

Did you know that a shocking 68 percent of American adults are now considered overweight, and approximately half of those individuals are obese? Obesity rates among American consumers have soared. Between 1980 and 2004, the adult obesity rate more than doubled, and the childhood obesity rate more than tripled.  Obese Americans are more likely than those with a normal BMI to develop type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and a number of other medical conditions.

Obese individuals are more likely to develop certain chronic health conditions, and cost the country about $147 billion in weight-related medical bills in 2008, double the cost a decade ago.

Getting to the (food) source of the problem

Today, Americans spend approximately half of their food dollars eating out. It is all the more important that we give people the tools they need to make healthier choices.

Studies have shown that when people know the caloric content of the food they consume – and particularly when they are reminded of average daily caloric needs – their consumption drops.

The market can help consumers, but it won’t do so on its own

As with the requirement for a nutrition facts panel on packaged food, getting the restaurant industry to provide nutritional information will unfortunately not happen without government mandate. We wish it were different, but we do not believe that market forces will bring menu-labeling to the consumer.

Many Americans do not know that the average adult only needs 2,000 calories a day.

Posting calories on menus, along with the reminder that most adults require only about 2,000 calories a day, is one of the important steps that the government can take to help promote and enable more healthful eating. Ideally, information about saturated and trans fat, sodium, carbohydrates, and protein should be available as well.

Even nutrition professionals underestimate the caloric content of menu offerings (Backstrand et al,. 1997), so it is unreasonable to expect the average consumer to know calorie content restaurant foods contain without having it provided for them.

Studies have shown that when people know the caloric content of the food they consume – and particularly when they are reminded of average daily caloric needs – their consumption drops.

Another interesting benefit of menu labeling has already emerged: in response to mandatory postings in New York City and elsewhere, and consumer demand for healthier options, several chains have revamped menu offerings to make them healthier, created new healthy options, and/or highlighted options with a certain number of calories or less. Applebee’s, The Cheesecake Factory, Starbucks, and Taco Bell are just a few examples of chains that have taken these steps.