An independent
survey by the University of Maryland Extension’s Expanded Food and Nutrition
Education Program shows that Montgomery County’s effort to place nutritional
information on menus at larger chain restaurants is making a significant impact
on the food choices of diners who read the information before ordering. The
survey shows that women were more likely than men to use the information, but
alarmingly, not one person surveyed between the ages of 18-24 said they
considered the nutritional information before ordering.
The County Council in 2009 approved Bill 19-07, whose chief sponsor was Councilmember George Leventhal, the chair of the Council’s Health and Human Services Committee. Montgomery County was one of the first jurisdictions in the nation to pass such legislation, which went into effect on July 1, 2010. Full compliance was expected by Jan. 1, 2011, and is regulated by the County’s Licensing and Regulatory Services.
The bill
requires an establishment with at least 20 national locations that offer the
same type of menu at each location to post information on calories on the menu
or menu board for any standardized menu item. Establishments are required
to provide calories, calories from fat, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol,
sodium, total and complex carbohydrates, cholesterol, sugar, fiber and protein
for any standardized menu item in writing on request.
For food in
self-service facilities, such as salad bars and buffet lines, the bill requires
the establishment to post calorie information for a standard serving size on a
tag next to the item.
“In just a
short time since this measure went into effect, this survey shows that about
one-third of all diners are using the new information available to make
healthier food choices, and it clearly shows that our efforts are making a
difference,” said Councilmember Leventhal. “I think we are all disappointed by
the survey’s results regarding young people not even considering the health
aspects of what they are eating. There is a national effort, and a very strong
one in Montgomery County, to fight obesity in young people so that they do not
have increased health problems as adults. This survey shows us we have
considerable work to do on this level.”
From February through May of this year,
the University of Maryland Extension’s Expanded Food and Nutrition Education
Program (EFNEP) surveyed customers in 23 restaurants (each of which were in
compliance with the law) in various
communities around the County to determine the impact of the legislation. A
total of 129 customers were interviewed—66 (51 percent) male and 63 (49
percent) female. Ages ranged from 18-79 and most customers interviewed spoke
English at home (67 percent). Nearly 19 percent spoke Spanish.
The survey showed that 32 percent of
customers surveyed read the nutrition information available in the restaurants.
Of those, 39 of the 41 reported that the nutritional information influenced
their meal choices, with 67 percent stating they used only calorie information.
Others stated they used fat content and sodium content to make their
selections.
Reasons for not using the nutrition
information varied, with 59 percent of those surveyed stating they already knew
what they wanted to order and 19 percent saying that the nutrition information
was not important in their decision. Three customers stated they wanted to
indulge so they ignored the information.
Seventeen of those surveyed said they did not use the nutrition
information because they did not see it at the time they ordered their
food.
Women were more likely to read the
nutrition information (41 percent of all surveyed) compared to men (23
percent). Customers ages 25-39 were most
likely to report reading the information to decide what to order, with 64
percent in this age group reading the information. Of the 19 customers surveyed
ages 18-24, none stated that they had read the nutrition information before
deciding what to order.
The survey report said it found another
unexpected result. “A surprising finding was that greater use of the nutrition
information was reported by those who frequent the restaurant daily (50 percent)
than by those who frequent the restaurant weekly (26 percent), monthly (23
percent), or less (47 percent),” said the report. “Only 38 percent of customers
who stated it was their first visit to the restaurant reported using the
nutrition information.”
The instrument and methodology of the
survey was developed for EFNEP by Mira Mehta and Linda Ashburn. Kavitha
Sankavaram, Krizia Fernandez and David McHale also contributed to the survey
and helped establish its results. Carol Garvey, co-chair of the Obesity Work
Group, also provided support for the study.
