In 2011 the state of Pennsylvania introduced the Fast Food Nutrition Labeling policy for the restaurant and retail industry. This policy requires fast food chain restaurants with certain size and sales requirements to display caloric and other nutritional content on their menus. This food and beverage information includes saturated fat, sodium and carbohydrates.
This positive change plays a role for educating consumers of fast foods about the nutrition of the foods they are purchasing and consuming. Seeing the nutrition content of the foods may also alter decisions in food choice and sway individuals to opt for a healthier alternative to a higher caloric food. It also makes keeping track of dietary intake easier for those who eat out and wish to log their nutritional intake for diet management.
The policy of Fast Food Nutrition Labeling also has an impact on nutrition educators. If they are educating individuals about the poor nutrition of consuming fast foods and their tendency to contain a lot of calories and large amounts of fat and sodium, showing real life examples and giving advise will be translated easier into each person’s life experiences and what they see when purchasing fast foods. The nutritionists can also use the provided information to teach about nutritional comparisons and making healthier choices when purchasing fast foods.
Between this policy and the help from nutrition educators, I believe the food labeling of fast foods can help in the efforts to decrease obesity in the United States. It will also impact the food restaurants themselves in hoping to alter their products to be more “nutritionally appealing”, especially since the information is displayed on their menu.
Overall, I believe this was an excellent policy to develop and it has already helped many individuals who seek to make smart food choices and know what they are putting into their body when eating out.
Jen Zelinskie