New York Restaurants To Show Calories On Menus

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Main Category: Nutrition / Diet
Also Included In: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Article Date: 23 Jan 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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The New York City Board of Health voted yesterday, 22nd January, to make the city's restaurant chains show calorie information on their menus and menu board.

The new regulation comes into force on 31st March this year and applies to any chain restaurant in New York City that has 15 or more outlets anywhere in the US. This represents about 10 per cent of the City's restaurants, according to a statement from the health department.

The intention is to give restaurant customers a way to make an informed and healthier food choice when they go out to eat. This is an important step in addressing the City's obesity epidemic, which affects over 50 per cent of New Yorkers. And with obesity, comes an increase in the number of people with type 2 diabetes, as Health Commissioner for New York City, Dr Thomas R Frieden explained:

"Obesity and diabetes are the only major health problems that are getting worse in New York City."

"Today, the Board of Health passed a regulation that will help New Yorkers make healthier choices about what to eat; living longer, healthier lives as a result," he added.

Research shows that people who eat fast food on a regular basis tend to eat more calories than those who do not.

While many chain restaurants display calorie information, they do so in a way that is not obvious or easy to see when customers are actually ordering their food. For instance, the information could be on a website, in a brochure, or a food wrapper.

By making them display this information on the menu itself, and on the menu boards, customers will see the information at the time they make their food choice, thus reducing the likelihood that they will underestimate the calorie content of the food they are about to order.

When people can see calorie information at the point of making a choice, they use it, said the Health Department. Nearly three quarters of shoppers said they looked at calorie information on labels when buying food in supermarkets, and about half said the information affected what they chose to buy.

Health officials said it is easier for chain restaurants to show the calorie values of their dishes because they tend to be standardized recipes and portions.

They estimate that this measure will reduce the number of obese New Yorkers by 150,000 over the next five years, and prevent 30,000 of the City's dwellers from getting type 2 diabetes.

According to the New York Times, Dr Frieden is anticipating a reduction in the high calorie dishes offered by some restaurants, citing as an example appetizers that exceed the 2,000 calorie mark.

He said his department had shown that consumers often underestimate the calorie value of menu dishes, but when they have the correct information, they tend to opt for dishes with a lower calorie count.

Chuck Hunt, a spokesman for the New York State Restaurant Association told the newspaper that his group, which had already successfully challenged an earlier ruling in the Federal District Court in Manhattan, was thinking of suing over the new ruling.

He said the new rule was unwieldy and wasn't going to work. Many restaurants operated as franchises and could not afford to obey the rules. He also said listing calorie content on supermarket food had not stopped the obesity epidemic.

Health officials said last year when they were revising the ruling after it been rejected by a judge for breaking federal laws, that many restaurant customers have no idea how many calories they are about to consume when they order their meals.

For example, they don't know that a typical McDonald's Big Mac, large fries and medium Coke has 1,320 calories, equal to two thirds of the average adult's daily need. And a Burger King triple Whopper with cheese has nearly as many calories, 1,230, and that's without the fries and coke.

Click here for more information about Physical Activity and Nutrition (New York City Health Department).

Sources: NYC Board of Health press statement, New York Times, MNT archives.

Written by: Catharine Paddock
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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