What’s on the Menu? A Review of the Energy and Nutritional Content of U.S. Chain Restaurant Menus

This paper discusses availability of nutrition information and nutritional content of menu items in the largest chain restaurants in the United States. Researchers examined the nutritional content of 30,923 menu items–including items from children’s menus–from 245 restaurants across the country. They found that while most main entrees did not exceed 667 calories, which is one-third More

Nutrition-Labeling Regulation Impacts on Restaurant Environments

This article discusses results of a study that examined whether restaurant environments changed as a result of a newly implemented restaurant nutrition-labeling regulation in King County, Wash., compared over a similar length of time to restaurants in Multnomah County, Ore., where nutrition-labeling was not implemented. Researchers found that there was no substantive difference in overall More

Contextual Influences on Eating Behaviours: Heuristic Processing and Dietary Choices

Over the past few decades, behavioral economics, social psychology, and neuroscience research has suggested that people are often irrational and their choices are frequently the consequence of automatic, hard-wired, instinctual processes made without conscious awareness. This paper reviews some of the evidence that dietary behaviors are, in large part, the consequence of automatic response to More

Energy, Saturated Fat, and Sodium Were Lower in Entrees at Chain Restaurants at 18 Months Compared with 6 Months Following the Implementation of Mandatory Menu Labeling Regulation in King County, Washington

This study examined the energy, saturated fat, and sodium content of entrées at national chain restaurants subject to menu labeling regulations in King County, Washington, at six and 18 months after the implementation of the regulation. Researchers evaluated the nutrition content of entrées at 11 sit-down restaurants and 26 quick-serve chains for items that were More

Retail Grocery Store Marketing Strategies and Obesity: An Integrative Review

In-store food marketing can influence food purchasing behaviors, but much remains to be learned about what food marketing practices in grocery stores can help address the growing burden of obesity. This paper synthesizes research and publications from industry and academic sources on the topic and provides direction for developing and evaluating promising interventions. Findings from More