NEIGHBORHOOD STORE ASSOCIATION
Summer 2009
Vol. 11 No. 1
Nutritional Info in Fast Food Restaurants
According to an observational study from Yale University, more prominent displays may be needed to help increase consumer awareness of nutritional information in fast food restaurants. The results of this study were printed in the May issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
Researchers visited McDonald’s, Burger King, Starbucks and Au Bon Pain restaurants in both urban and suburban settings. They counted the number of customers who read on-premises nutritional information, which was available on posters, pamphlets or computer terminals in the restaurants.
Of the more than 4,311 patrons observed, only six (one-tenth of one percent) sought out the nutritional information available in the restaurants prior to making a purchase.
“Clear calorie information is critical to helping consumers make informed decisions about what they are eating,” said Kelly Brownell, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale and an author of the study. “It is notoriously difficult to estimate the calories in fast food meals. Polls show that consumers want the information and this study shows how they need it in a more prominent and visible place – right on the menus and menu boards.”
Yale University, Office of Public Affairs, March 19, 2009
Sidebar:
The Oregon House and Senate both approved HB 2726; however, the Governor has not yet signed the bill. HB 2726 will require all restaurants with more than 15 locations nationwide to provide customers with information about calories, fats, and sodium for all menu items.Inside:
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