More states add menu labeling to docket

More states add menu labeling to docket
February 3, 2009

The number of states and communities considering bills related to posting nutritional information or banning trans fats continues to rise.

The (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal has reported that the Indiana legislature has proposed a bill to require restaurants and delicatessens in grocery stores with at least 10 locations in Indiana to post the information on its menu or make it available in a separate printed document. A lobbyist for the Indiana Restaurant Association asked lawmakers to defer action as Congress works on federal requirements to make much of the same information available.

According to The Charleston Gazette, the South Carolina legislature has drafted a bill based on a regulation in New York City and would require restaurant chains with 15 or more outlets in the state to post calories for each food and beverage item on their menus and menu boards.

And The Washington Post has reported that the Washington D.C. Council has introduced bill to ban artificial trans fats in restaurants.

To help restaurants abide by menu labeling regulations, the California Restaurant Association (CRA) has announced it has formed a partnership with FoodCalc, a maker of the online tool MenuCalc that instantly calculates the nutritional profile of recipes. As a CRA preferred-vendor product, MenuCalc will provide CRA members with an exclusive discount of 10 percent off for nutrition analysis and regulatory compliance services.

California is the first state in the country to pass menu-labeling legislation setting standards for the disclosure of caloric information by requiring that chain restaurants with 20 or more locations provide nutritional information to consumers either on a menu or menu board.

"Menu labeling is the wave of the future, driven by increasing consumer health consciousness and demand for dietary information," said Lucy Needham, president and CEO, FoodCalc. "Our mission is to offer all restaurants, regardless of size, a cost-effective and technologically-advanced nutritional analysis solution that helps them stay competitive in today's tough economy."

The MenuCalc product offerings include:

The Web do-it-yourself Plan, in which users license MenuCalc's online application for unlimited use and independently perform their nutrition analysis, assisted by training and customer support provided by MenuCalc's expert staff.
The Registered Dietitian Plan, in which MenuCalc's registered dietitians perform the analysis, contact ingredient suppliers and assure compliance of all locations under menu labeling bills.
Both plans generate instant results that can be customized and exported into programs like Microsoft Word and Excel. Completed nutrition data can easily be printed, e-mailed and shared via brochures, menus and Web sites.
Consultancy Services for all restaurants, providing expertise in labeling and menu display compliance, nutrition analysis and ingredient projects beyond the paid plan. The consultancy rate is $90 an hour and does not include the CRA member discount.