Matthew Viglione
Nutritional Menu Labeling
One form of nutritional labeling has already been in existence in grocery stores for many years. There is, though, a discrepancy between food bought at grocery stores and food purchased in restaurants. Food sold in grocery stores must include a nutritional label as required by the Federal Nutrition Labeling and Education Act, but restaurants are exempt from that part of the Act.
Arguments FOR menu labeling:
1. The difficulty that consumers have in making informed choices about food they purchase and consume at restaurants. The absence of relevant nutritional information makes it difficult for consumers to assess caloric content of foods
2. “Nationally, obesity rates have doubled in children and tripled in teenagers over the past twenty years” Order No. 08-114 (2008).
3. Indirect costs of adult obesity in America is in excess of $120 billion each year
4. Americans families are eating out a few times a week on average at fast food and chain restaurants, which is steadily increasing each year
5. Most unhealthy food that the public consumes comes primarily from restaurants that do not post nutritional information
Arguments AGAINST menu labeling:
1. Labeling may cause buyers to change eating habits and may lower profits for restaurants.
2. Menu labeling would incur higher costs for restaurants
3. Menu labeling acts that have passed do not include ALL restaurants, just “chain restaurant” establishments.
PLEASE READ THE 3 .PDF FILES ON MENU LABELING LINKED ON THE CLASS WEBSITE FOR FUTHER MENU LABELING BACKGROUND
Multnomah County, Oregon
The Multnomah County Nutritional Labeling Policy “is to provide Multnomah County residents with basic nutrition information and other product information about prepared Foods sold at Chain Restaurants” Order No. 08-114 (2008). This policy requires all big chain restaurants and coffee shops in the county to include calorie counts and the amounts of fat, carbohydrates, and sodium in their menu items. The affected parties of this policy include chain restaurants that reside in Multnomah County and “have at least fifteen or more restaurants within the United States, [and] sell formula menu items that comprise at least eighty percent or more of menu items served in at least fifteen restaurants” Order No. 08-114 (2008). These chain restaurants must post nutritional information of their food items, which was nearly nonexistent before. In July 2008, the Multnomah County Board of Health adopted the nutritional labeling policy. The policy’s rules and regulations were then created by the Multnomah County Health Department in order for them to carry out and enforce the policy once it was set in motion.
Requirements for the Multnomah County Act (Please Read):
http://www.menucalc.com/images/Multnomah.pdf
The full Act in quick view form and .pdf download available (More detail – Skim)
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:YvUByK-nRM0J:web.multco.us/document/21780/download+multnomah+county+08-114&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjoZ6WRir2Di_3QlqXq7PiDAz2rDd1yQlpI4vwNlfWLSaKidbLyMvJtSAnVKbZWGJUFIwnS-uLZ9tV8H-X-eXhjrktvRd0pwI0G7XIDcG-CMFpVe2npffSJCY1dUzxsaUaEYs3T&sig=AHIEtbQl7r7L5C3uK284gBZnaxe_GYBIDA
State of Oregon
In 2010, the State of Oregon adopted its own menu labeling Act after the work done in Multnomah County the previous 2 years before.
This article from the Lund Report discusses why the Oregon Menu Labeling Act has not yet taken effect and various debates on the scope of menu labeling law (Please Read):
http://lundreport.org/resource/oregon_waits_for_menu_labeling_to_take_effect
And here is the Oregon House Bill 2726 on Menu Labeling (Skim)
http://public.health.oregon.gov/PreventionWellness/Nutrition/MenuLabeling/Documents/hb2726enrolled.pdf
United States of America
With 28 states and most major U.S. cities adopting some sort of menu labeling law, the United States passed nationwide law on the issue. “Section 4205 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 requires restaurants and similar retail food establishments with 20 or more locations to list calorie content information for standard menu items on restaurant menus and menu boards, including drive-through menu boards” (FDA, 2011). This Act also requires some vending machine owners to use labeling as well. Sometime in 2012 the final rules and regulations will be put into effect.
Here is the law, though not that much different from Oregon (Read part B. Requirements of Section 4205 of the Affordable Care Act especially on vending machines)
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2011/2011-8037.htm
Questions
1. Should Menu Labeling remain a State issue? Should it ever have been only a State, county, or city issue?
2. What other arguments for or against menu labeling should be taken into consideration? Think of any that are not discussed in the articles or above.
3. Should menu labeling include airline food, supermarket delis, movie theatres, alcohol, vending machines, etc? Where do we draw the line?