Evaluation of the Smart Menu/Salud Tiene Sabor menu labeling campaign in South Los Angeles

Introduction: This project is evaluating the impact of Smart Menu/La Salud Tiene Sabor program, which is a menu labeling initiative in seven independently-owned restaurants to empower South Los Angeles residents to make healthy food choices via access to healthy menu items and nutrition information. The Smart Menu evaluation is a collaboration of restaurant owners, research and community-based organizations and the LA County Public Health Dept. The evaluation if funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Salud America! Methodology: The evaluation assesses the effect of menu labeling, nutrient information and healthy eating tips on families' purchase intention and meal choices and on restaurant vendor practices and sales. Evaluation methodologies include patron awareness assessments, environmental assessments, stakeholder surveys, sales tracking analysis, secondary data analyses, and media analysis. Results: The evaluation describes the program's accomplishments, challenges, and lessons learned to advance replication of the model and inform California's menu labeling legislation. Evaluation results will include presentations to stakeholders, briefs, a case study, and vendor tool kit. Public awareness of findings and their implications will be raised via press releases, opinion-editorial pieces, and blog posts. Discussion: California SB 1420 requires that restaurants with twenty or more outlets begin providing menu-labeling information. The Smart Menu evaluation is timely as it describes the efforts and outcomes of independent restaurant owners embarking on menu-labeling to improve the health of their families and community members. The Salud program has the potential to decrease childhood obesity rates by improving the nutrition environment where Latino families make food choices.