NEW YORK CITY – Walk into nearly any fast-food chain, and you’ll see caloric data posted alongside menu items, but new research finds that only a third of customers actually read the nutritional information, Reuters Health reports. However, those guests who do look at the calories use that information when ordering.
“Restaurant food tends to have many more calories than people realize, and many more calories than if the same food is cooked at home whether because of the preparation method or because restaurants often provide large portion sizes,” said Katherine Bauer with the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University. “Ideally we hope that restaurant patrons see the calorie information posted at fast food and other restaurants and choose a meal with fewer calories. So far, the evidence is really mixed about whether that actually happens.”
What the new study didn’t clear up is whether consumers in cities with menu-labeling laws have actually changed the way they order and consume calories at restaurants. “When people have looked at specific cities like New York, Seattle, and Philadelphia, awareness of the calorie labels increased quite a bit from before calories were required to be posted in those cities,” said Bauer. “However, with the exception of the Seattle study that saw decreases in calories purchased among women and from coffee shops, these studies haven't seen any changes in calories purchased before and after menu labeling laws went into effect.”
A few U.S. cities, such as New York, have mandated chain restaurants put calorie data on menu boards, but that will soon become more widespread. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires chains with at least 20 locations across the country to post nutritional info on menus.
The menu-labeling portion of the act has come under fire recently by restaurateurs who claim the law creates an undue burden on their businesses. NACS recently praised a Senate companion measure to H.R. 1249, the Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act, as a thoughtful approach to providing the necessary flexibility and understanding of convenience store foodservice operations.