Availability of nutritional information in a national sample of fast food restaurants: Overview of the landscape prior to federal mandate

Introduction: Several communities have enacted menu labeling legislation requiring the posting of calories on fast food menu boards and provision of other nutritional information on site. As part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, restaurant chains will soon be required to implement menu labeling nationwide. To understand the potential impact of this federal mandate, it is helpful to assess the national landscape prior to implementation. Methods: Observational data were collected in 2,459 chain and non-chain fast food restaurants in 154 communities in the spring/summer of 2010 as part of a nationwide study. The observation tool assessed the presence and placement of calorie and other nutritional information in each restaurant. Additionally, observers asked restaurant employees for nutritional information and collected printed nutrition material, where available. Results: Preliminary results indicate that few restaurants had calorie information posted on the menu board (3%) or on food display tags (1%). Approximately 20% of restaurants had nutritional information at the point of purchase on posters or in printed form. When asked about the availability of nutritional information, employees most often reported that there was no information available (46%) or provided material from behind the counter (19%). This presentation will summarize differences in the availability of nutritional information by community demographics and describe the content and readability of printed nutrition materials. Discussion: Prior to a federal mandate, nutritional information was almost never available on fast food menu boards or food display tags, but was sometimes available in printed or posted form, or upon request.