Spring Break
The Daily OrangeToback: Numbers show more attention is paid to the calorie counts
By Rebecca Toback
Posted: 11/5/09, 3:38 AM EST Section: Feature
Last summer, I went with friends to the Hard Rock Café in New York City. When we opened our menus I was surprised to see calorie counts next to each food. I quickly changed my ordering plans after noticing the high-calorie dressing in the Asian chicken salad and went for a surprisingly healthier route, chicken fajitas.
Since July 2008, New York City health department regulations have required restaurants with 15 or more establishments nationwide to post calories on menus and menu boards. Starbucks, Applebee's, Dunkin' Donuts and California Pizza Kitchen are just a few of the restaurants that the law affects.
California, Washington, D.C., Seattle, Chicago and Philadelphia have all followed suit and enacted calorie-posting requirement laws.
According to a New York Times article last month, a study conducted by several New York University and Yale University professors in July 2008 found that 28 percent of these customers said it influenced their decision of what to order. Ninety percent said they were making healthier decisions due to the calories available on the menu. But the study found that people ordered slightly more calories than the typical customer had before the labeling law went into effect.
While that study does not bode well for the regulations, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene released data that shows the regulations are having the desired effect: People purchased foods with fewer calories at nine of 13 fast food and coffee chains included in their observations.
The study started in 2007 with 10,000 customers at 275 locations, with another 12,000 customers being surveyed this year, according to a National Post article from Oct. 26. It also showed that at McDonald's, Au Bon Pain, KFC and Starbucks, on average customers bought food containing 106 fewer calories than they did when the calories were not readily available.
New York City's research showed there were positive effects due to the regulations, and reasoned that its study was more representative of actual dining habits because it included more people over a longer period of time and was not limited to outlets in low-income neighborhoods, according to the National Post article.
Since July 2008, New York City health department regulations have required restaurants with 15 or more establishments nationwide to post calories on menus and menu boards. Starbucks, Applebee's, Dunkin' Donuts and California Pizza Kitchen are just a few of the restaurants that the law affects.
California, Washington, D.C., Seattle, Chicago and Philadelphia have all followed suit and enacted calorie-posting requirement laws.
According to a New York Times article last month, a study conducted by several New York University and Yale University professors in July 2008 found that 28 percent of these customers said it influenced their decision of what to order. Ninety percent said they were making healthier decisions due to the calories available on the menu. But the study found that people ordered slightly more calories than the typical customer had before the labeling law went into effect.
While that study does not bode well for the regulations, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene released data that shows the regulations are having the desired effect: People purchased foods with fewer calories at nine of 13 fast food and coffee chains included in their observations.
The study started in 2007 with 10,000 customers at 275 locations, with another 12,000 customers being surveyed this year, according to a National Post article from Oct. 26. It also showed that at McDonald's, Au Bon Pain, KFC and Starbucks, on average customers bought food containing 106 fewer calories than they did when the calories were not readily available.
New York City's research showed there were positive effects due to the regulations, and reasoned that its study was more representative of actual dining habits because it included more people over a longer period of time and was not limited to outlets in low-income neighborhoods, according to the National Post article.
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