Nutritional Information Printed on Menus

(Menu Labeling)

Currently there are several different proposals being considered by the New York State Restaurant Association to require restaurants to list nutritional information on their menus.

STATUS
Assemblyman Felix Ortiz (D-Brooklyn) and Senator Kemp Hannon have introduced legislation to require calorie counts on menu boards and fat, calories, carbohydrates and sodium be listed on menus.  A.729 and S.3787 are similar to legislation Assemblyman Ortiz has introduced in previous sessions. 

Senator Hannon, Chair of the Senate Health Committee, has also introduced a menu labeling bill that includes a ban on trans fat in restaurants.  S.3831 was approved by the Senate Consumer Protection Committee and is now awaiting action by the entire Senate.

KEY POINTS CONCERNING THIS ISSUE

  • 76% of all meals are eaten at home.
  • Despite labeling on grocery products for the past 10 years, obesity rates continue to rise.
  • With 870,000 restaurants nationwide customers can always find a wide variety of venues, menu items and portion sizes to fit their needs.
  • A consumer buying a sandwich with five items or toppings (such as bread, meat, cheese, lettuce, and tomato) can order it 120 different ways. Someone presented with 15 items for a sub or sandwich can order it 1.3 trillion ways making accurate nutrition labeling virtually impossible for restaurants.
  • More education is needed to ensure Americans understand the information currently available on food labels and apply that information to obtain a healthy, balanced diet designed specifically for their body type and activity level.
  • While a manufacturing plant can be precise, a restaurant is different because it relies on individual employees to prepare the food. The human factor could cause the nutritional information to be inaccurate, defeating the purpose and increasing liability.
  • The restaurant industry is actively engaged in innovative programs to help prevent obesity both in local communities and at the national level.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Melissa A. Fleischut, Director of Government Affairs at melissaf@nysra.org