In the News: Calories on Your Menus
August 15, 2011 at 8:36 pm Leave a comment
In 2012 as part of the healthcare reform legislation, restaurant labeling laws will go nationwide, requiring any food business with 20 or more locations to reveal the calorie content of their items on menus and menu boards. Here in NYC, we are no strangers to restaurant menu labeling practices. Since 2008, chains throughout the city have been required to list calorie information on their menus in an effort to encourage New Yorkers to make healthier and more informed choices. Frequent your neighborhood Starbucks in the mornings? Calorie postings may reveal that switching from your grande latte with whole milk to a grande latte with skim milk saves you 90 calories! This is the hope. The good news is that studies have shown that our behavior is changing. Those of us who paid attention to the calorie postings (about 1 in 6) ordered items with approximately 100 fewer calories than those who didn’t. On top of this progress and in an effort to reduce the “sticker shock” aftermath of this new regulation, restaurant chains in New York and California (where the legislation was also passed) began introducing healthier options and decreasing calorie content in their menu items.
Eating out shouldn’t have to equal over-indulging! We hope these steps in the right direction will spread throughout the country and empower Americans to make better choices when dining out.
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