Nutrition Information in Restaurants

A recent survey shows that many people are using nutrition information to determine the right food to order when dining at a restaurant. It's estimated that 73 percent of Hispanics, 57 percent of Blacks, and 60 percent of people of other racial backgrounds make use of this information when selecting a meal.

Exit surveys with restaurant patrons

The purpose of this study was to determine how much nutrition information restaurants provide to consumers. As part of an international study of menu labelling, researchers conducted exit surveys with restaurant patrons in six quick-service chains and three full-service establishments. These surveys assessed whether participants noticed nutrition information and their nutrient intake.

In this study, researchers asked restaurant patrons to complete a 10-minute survey about their food choices, after dining at a restaurant. The survey was conducted by interviewers using iPads. Participants were required to be 18 years old or older, had eaten at a restaurant in the preceding two hours, and provided verbal informed consent.

IDP

While the IDP was designed to standardise restaurant nutrition information, only a small percentage of Canadian restaurants are participating. In British Columbia, 15 percent of restaurants participated in the program, compared with 45% of chain restaurants. However, an evaluation of the program was not conducted in other provinces. In 2015, a study of the availability of nutrition information in the country's top 10 fast-food chains found that 96% of restaurants provided this information, though this information was often inconsistent.

The survey was conducted in different neighbourhoods and at two or three outlets for each restaurant chain. This design helped to minimise potential bias from neighbourhood socioeconomic status. Moreover, a research assistant visited each restaurant outlet to verify IDP labelling and calorie labelling. All data were collected anonymously.

Calorie labelling on menus

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently finalised regulations that require chains of restaurants with at least 20 locations to post calorie information on their menus. The new regulations require the calorie content of standard menu items to be listed in the same font as the item name. While there are some exemptions, these new requirements will affect many restaurants.

A recent study, conducted by the ERS, found that some restaurants already provided calorie information on their menus. This study examined whether menus in these establishments increased the number of calories purchased per transaction, even if the calorie information was not included on all menu items. The study found that when menus with calorie information were included, patrons purchased 5.7 percent more calories per transaction than in restaurants without such information. However, a similar analysis in a control county did not detect a significant increase in calorie purchases.

Effects of location on use of nutrition information in restaurants

Recent research has shown that the presence of nutrition information in restaurants can have a substantial impact on the frequency of calorie and nutritional information use. This finding is consistent with previous studies. For example, a 2013/14 population-level telephone survey conducted in the US found that 43.4% of respondents had seen nutritional information in sit-down and fast-food restaurants within the last six months. Moreover, more than half of respondents used the information to help make a food choice. However, it is not clear whether these results apply to jurisdictions that do not have calorie labelling.

In order to understand if nutrition information was influential and effective in promoting healthful eating, this study examined how location affects awareness and influence of nutrition information in restaurant menus. This study was part of an international study on menu labelling. It included a total of 52 restaurants, six quick-service chains, and three sit-down restaurants. The restaurants used various interventions to increase the visibility of nutrition information on menus.