As part of the health care legislation passed by the US House of Representatives on Sunday, chain restaurants with 20 or more locations will be required to provide nutritional information to diners at the point of purchase. The information will mirror the kind available on packaged foods.  Caloric information would be highlighted on menus, menu boards and drive-through boards. The provision has been praised by America’s National Restaurant Association. “The passage of this provision is a... ...Read more »

Menus with calorie information are one step closer to becoming a reality following successful and productive work this summer with twenty-one major fast-food and catering companies, the UK’s leading food authority has said. As part of its work to help people make healthier choices when eating out, the Food Standards Agency is seeking views on how a voluntary calorie labelling scheme will work best in practice. Catering businesses, including many major high street names such as KFC and Burger... ...Read more »

Eighteen major catering companies, including many high street fast-food brands, will introduce calorie information on their menus for the first time. The list of trailblazers, announced overnight by UK Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo and the Food Standards Agency, will start displaying calorie information from the end of April. The list includes workplace caterers, sit down and quick-service restaurants, theme parks and leisure attractions, pub restaurants, cafes and sandwich chains. Companies... ...Read more »

A new survey conducted by foodservice consultants Technomic, Inc. has revealed that the mandated calorie disclosure for New York City restaurants with 15 or more units is starting to affect what items consumers order and which restaurants they visit. Last year legislation came into effect in New York City requiring chain restaurants to provide calorie counts on menus. Since then the state of California has followed suit, with the UK set to also enact similar laws. In Australia, there have been suggestions... ...Read more »

Following the example of New York City and the state of California, the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) is launching the first phase of its plan to introduce nutrition information in a range of catering outlets. The FSA is wanting to see more consistent nutrition information for consumers at the point they make a decision about what they eat out of home and announced that the first step will be the introduction of calorie labelling. A similar plan may be unveiled in Australia later this year,... ...Read more »

Australian restaurants could soon be forced to follow some of their American counterparts by posting calorie counts on menus. The Preventative Health Taskforce, set up to provide recommendations to the Federal Government on health policy going forward, is contemplating a number of labelling approaches. The Taskforce is to submit the ‘National Preventative Health Strategy’ to the Department of Health and Ageing in June this year, with many potential changes affecting all in the food industry. Chairman... ...Read more »

The Coalition for Responsible Nutrition Information (CRNI*) has launched a campaign to pass national legislation that will provide consumers across America with detailed nutrition information in chain restaurants and other food service establishments using a uniform standard. The National Restaurant Association (NRA), which represents the 380,000 member restaurant establishments, is supporting the scheme. “People are always looking for help to make better choices especially at the beginning... ...Read more »

Californian Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger yesterday signed new legislation making California the first American state to have its restaurant chains with 20 or more locations statewide post calorie information on menus and indoor menu boards for consumers. Similar legislation was introduced earlier this year in New York City. “This legislation will help Californians make more informed, healthier choices by making calorie information easily accessible at thousands of restaurants throughout our... ...Read more »