LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Yum! Brands Inc. has announced that its U.S. divisions, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Long John Silver's and A&W All-American Food, will voluntarily place product calorie information on their respective menu boards in company-owned restaurants nationwide. Calorie information will be based on individual serving sizes and will be phased onto menu boards beginning this year and completed by Jan. 1, 2011.
Franchisees will be encouraged to provide the same information on their menu boards. The company also will call for federal legislation using the recently-enacted legislation in California as a model to establish uniform guidelines for menu board labeling with calorie information.
The move coincides with the company's Health and Wellness effort. The company's lower-calorie "Better For You" menu options include:
- Taco Bell restaurants offer a Fresco Menu, including nine items with nine grams of fat or less.
- KFC offers lower-calorie sandwiches, Snackers, side items, salads and Tender Roast Chicken from 50 calories to 390 calories, and plans to introduce Kentucky Grilled Chicken early next year.
- Pizza Hut offers a number of lower calorie menu options, including Fit ‘N Delicious lower-fat pizzas with 150-180 calories per slice. The company will begin offering The Natural, a pizza made with all-natural ingredients, including a multigrain crust and naturally-preserved Italian sausage, in December
- Long John Silver's will begin offering a new Freshside Grille menu next month, which features grilled shrimp, salmon and tilapia, along with mixed vegetables and rice.
As part of a broader Health and Wellness effort across the United States, the company also announced a new policy not to advertise its products on television programs specifically aimed at children under 12 years old. It also will continue to provide full nutritional information on its Web sites and in brochures, available upon request, at its restaurant drive-thru windows and in-store ordering counters.
Additionally, the company will launch national on-line exercise programs, featuring renowned University of Louisville men's basketball Coach Rick Pitino, to help educate consumers about maintaining a balanced lifestyle. In early 2007, Taco Bell and KFC switched to cooking oils with zero grams trans fat per serving. Each of the company's brands is looking at ways to reduce sodium and making continuous improvements to the nutritional profile of its products.
Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest praised Yum! Brands for adding calorie counts to its menu boards: "We applaud this move and encourage other major chains to follow this bold example. Yum! has gone an important step further by voicing its support for legislation that would require restaurants to list calories on menus and menu boards."
