Oral

Obesity is a major public health issue. Excessive caloric intake fuels energy imbalance, leading to obesity. Access to nutrition information may help restaurant customers make healthier (i.e. lower calorie) choices. However, information on caloric content (as well and fat, carbohydrates and sodium) has not been readily available to customers at the time of purchase. To address this lack of information, New York City, Portland/Multnomah County and Seattle/King County have implemented regulations requiring chain restaurants to provide such information at the point of purchase. Such regulations have been passed (but not yet implemented)in eight other local jurisdictions and one state, and have been proposed in many others. The impact of such information on customer choice, caloric intake and menu items is not well-documented. Panel members will summarize the regulations in New York City, Portland/Multnomah County & Seattle/King County, present preliminary evaluation of the impact of such information on the nutritional content of customer purchases, and discuss lessons learned.

Session Objectives: 1) Describe the highlights of nutrition-labeling regulations in NYC, Portland/Multnomah and Seattle/King County and their differences 2) Identify the similarities and differences across sites in the methods being used to evaluate the impact of the regulations 3) Evaluate the impact of nutrition labeling on customer caloric intake

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH)