California will launch the first phase of a major crackdown today on restaurant chains, which will be forced to be more pro-active in providing consumers with nutritional data.
The law, which comes in two phases, targets fast-food and sit-down dining chains with 20 or more locations statewide. The first phase, effective July 1, 2009, requires restaurants to offer diners nutritional brochures.
For fast-food chains, the information must be made available at the cash register and at the drive-through.
Cypress-based Baja Fresh is complying with new law by handing out these brochures.
The brochures must contain calorie content information for all regular menu items. The pamphlets might also contain grams of saturated fat, grams of carbohydrates and milligrams of sodium, but it is not a requirement — a point of contention for some restaurant chains.
In Orange County, most locally-based chains said they are prepared to follow the law.
Representatives for Costa Mesa-based El Pollo Loco, Irvine-based Taco Bell, Santa Ana-based Wahoo’s Fish Taco, Huntington Beach-based BJ’s Restaurants, Cypress-based Baja Fresh, Irvine-based Mimi’s Cafe, Lake Forest-based Del Taco and San Clemente-based Pick up Stix said special brochures have been made, or updated, to meet requirements.
National chains such as Wendy’s, Rubio’s, Subway, McDonald’s, Jack in the Box, Dairy Queen and Chipotle Mexican Grill said they are also compliant.
Many — such as El Pollo Loco, McDonald’s and Wendy’s — say they have always posted detailed nutritional information in posters at each restaurant and on their websites.
Under the new law, they are taking added steps to promote the availability of the pamphlets by posting signs at “drive-through” windows. One McDonald’s restaurant in Santa Barbara is also experimenting by adding nutritional information at the bottom of your cash-register receipt.
“McDonald’s is committed to providing our customers with comprehensive nutrition information on our menu,” McDonald’s spokeswoman Danya Proud said.
The second part of the so-called California menu labeling law is expected to be much more complicated, and expensive for restaurant owners.
By Jan. 1, 2011, California chains will have to post calorie information on their menus and indoor menu boards.
The law is similar to requirements in New York City, where restaurant owners fought, and lost, a proposal to add calorie counts on menu boards.
“If you truly want to help consumers, you have to give them more information than simply calories,” said Denny Lynch, a spokesman for Wendy’s, the nation’s No. 3 burger chain . “We think (in-store) posters are a better solution.”
Creating new menu boards is costly. Lynch said it cost Wendy’s roughly $800 to $1,000 per store to change each menu board in New York City, where it has about 55 restaurants.
The new boards have also confused some diners.
“When you put the calories up there, the menu gets crowded,” Lynch said. “People are confusing the calories for price.”
“Then, they ask, ‘Why did you raise the price?’”
Tell us: What do you think of the California menu labeling law? Will it change the way people order? Is a brochure with full nutritional information better than a menu board with only calorie information?
Write in and let us know.
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To require nutritional brochures is fine, but the 1/1/11 requirement for the nutritional data to be included on menus and menuboards is excessive because the costs (cluttered menus and higher restaurant costs) will far exceed the benefits (thinner, healthier diners), IMO. I say just make the nutritional data available on the Web. As an aside, I like that McDonald’s prints the nutritionals on the back of serving tray liners and some food wrappers.
How could somebody possible mistake calories for price? You’d have to be a complete idiot! Hint: calories don’t have a dollar sign in front of them.
WOW.i just walked through the door and (drkhlmt) you made me laugh early in the day.. thanks
drkhlmt: If I had a nickel for every online poster that used the word “idiot,” I’d have enough for one of those burgers that cost 885 dollars.
It will (and has as of last night) change the way I order. One restaurant had the calorie/carb brochure on the table and my husband and I looked at it for fun- and then to our horror realized how many carbs we were actually consuming! A Gardenburger has 71 carbs vs. an omelette at 7carbs. I will definitely be looking out for the calorie/carb info in the future. I prefer the brochure vs. the menu board for getting info because I need to count carbs, not calories, and as I understand it only calories would be posted on the menu boards.
Since it starts today, can you just “IOU” the calories?
Just another argument for a part time legislature. Really, these buffons have enough time to pass this into law?
If you are too stupid understand the potential calories you are shoving down your piehole then you deserve to die of a heart attack.
Darwin’s theory at work.
Lets see.. for lunch today at Chilis…
1/2 order texas cheese fries, cup of chicken enchilada, bacon burger, and a chocolate shake.
Total calories… 3450!
The only good I can possibly see coming from this is that maybe people will finally realize that the “healthy” salads and wraps fast food places added over the last few years are often the worst things for you on the menu.
But seriously - if you actually care (or even know how many calories you are supposed to be consuming) then you’ve already had access to this information for at least the last 5 years. All this is going to do is drive up the cost of cheap food right when we need cheap food the most. If I only have a $5 budget for lunch, trust me, the last thing I care about is the calories involved.
Also, if I want a low calorie meal, I’m probably not in the resturant in the first place. It’s not like people are still walking around going “What? You mean I’m putting on weight because I’m eating double cheeseburgers and fries and the equivilent of a six pack of coke for lunch? How strange!”
I have been waiting for this day! It will definitely allow those of us that want to be healthier make better choices. If most people knew what they were really eating they would be appalled!!
You are a successful woman, or a pathetic attempt at one. You are now fired, goodbye!
If you will want to get a jaw dropping experience about calories and whatnot - read the “Eat This, Not That” books. You will be blown away.
Jim:
Sounds good!!!
Make my shake vanilla.
I’ll meet you there.
Are New Yorkers that dumb ???
Where this pays off is NOT the typical fast food place where you could find out all the calorie information long ago.
Where this pays off is sit down places that have carefully avoided publishing any nutrition information on their often INSANELY high calorie entrees. I’m dying to see the numbers for Claim Jumper, although I bet they changed the portion size and recipes in anticipation of this law.
The next step, warning labels on the burger box!!!
“WARNING THIS HAMBURGER KNOWN TO CAUSE OBESITY, DIABETES AND HEART ATTACK!”
CAUTION: Do not eat with fires or apple pie
JohnB: No one reads the calorie count, they don’t care.
If you have not figuered out that fast food and restaurant fare is high in calories and fat…I feel sad for you. I am not claiming to be an expert, just carrying on what I witness. I see many overweight people in fast food establishments eating double burgers and fries. And I am traveling this weekend am and sure I will see more.
The state is going down the tubes. The folks that think it’s a good idea vote for democrats. The same folks are incapable of deducing this as another fee. Priceless.
i ate at TGI Friday’s last week, and they had calorie count listed next to each item. we were shocked at how many calories some of the salads had! obviously, we all know eating at a fast food restaurant is horrible for you, but a sit-down restaurant? not many people think about it.
i effectively lost my appetite from the calorie counts and ordered soup and salad, which was still high in calories.
My daughter was diagnosed with “TYPE I” diabetes one year ago this week. Since then we have had a difficult time quantifying the carbs associated with each meal when we dine out. It is important to know what the carbs are so she can add the proper amount of insulin. We do not have a problem finding calorie counts for the meals she eats on the restaurant websites but we rarely find carb counts. Is it important to me to have this information available? Yes.
I think coffee shops that serve food, such as Starbucks and Peets, should be required to post calories. I know Starbucks currently does, but Peets does not.
MediaCurves.com conducted a study on 402 viewers of a news clip featuring restaurants that provide nutritional information to their customers. Results found that the majority of respondents (84%) reported that restaurants should be required to list nutritional information. The study revealed that 60% of respondents indicated that requiring all restaurants to list nutritional information would help to decrease the national obesity rate.
More in depth results can be seen at:
http://www.mediacurves.com/HealthCare/J7577-CalorieCounting/Index.cfm
Thanks,
Ben
Oh my! Some of these comments are just genius; hilarious!
“What? You mean I’m putting on weight because I’m eating double cheeseburgers and fries and the equivilent of a six pack of coke for lunch? How strange!” Yeah, but it’s low in carbs! Ha!
“How could somebody possible mistake calories for price? You’d have to be a complete idiot! Hint: calories don’t have a dollar sign in front of them.”
“If I had a nickel for every online poster that used the word “idiot,” I’d have enough for one of those burgers that cost 885 dollars.” This one made me laugh for a good ten minutes, non stop!
But as stated by another, if people are serous about either losing weight or keeping from getting fat, they wouldn’t frequent these places. I used the word “frequent,” meaning more that one or two times a month.
Did anyone ever see Super Size Me?