The health care reform legislation signed into law by President Obama packs a greater punch than some may realize. In addition to provisions that will protect health insurance coverage for people with preexisting conditions and lower the cost of prescription drugs for seniors, it requires restaurants with more than 20 locations to provide calorie information on their menus. The idea is that when presented with the cold hard numbers at the time of ordering, rather than looking it up - or not - on the Internet hours later, consumers will make healthier, more nutritious choices.
As we've previously discussed on the Full Spectrum Blog, menu labeling studies have shown mixed results, but a recent study conducted by The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene - one with a wider and more diverse sample size than studies conducted previously - showed participants recognized the posted calorie information and made statistically significant changes in the food they purchased. (As a clarification, menu labeling refers to nutritional information placed on restaurant menus, while food labeling, is labeling on food products.) (more...)
