Restaurants and Food Services
Obesity is a major public health concern in the United States and Canada. Two-thirds of adults and one-third of children are overweight or obese. Although many factors contribute to obesity, weight gain is generally the result of an energy imbalance—an excess of calories consumed over calories expended.
Research has shown that frequent eating out is associated with increased calorie intake, and that food eaten away from the home tends to be of lower nutritional quality and higher in saturated fat and sodium than food prepared at home. Larger portion sizes served in restaurants contribute to greater calorie intake, and analyses of three fast food chain restaurants indicate that portion sizes have not changed since the mid-1990s (1996-2013).
The benefit estimates are contingent on several assumptions, including
- Building trust among customers: Providing calorie counts on menus signals to customers that there is a level of transparency in your restaurant, making those who are concerned with calorie counts more likely to return and become loyal customers.
- Aiding in preventing and reversing obesity: More than one-third of American adults are considered obese. Providing calorie counts on menus will make consumers more aware of how much they are consuming and can aid them in their efforts to stick to a restricted or reduced-calorie diet.
- Meeting consumers desires: A number of consumer reports have consistently revealed that public is in favor of having calorie counts on menus and boards in restaurants.
- increased awareness regarding the caloric content of foods, which would encourage consumption of lower-calorie options,
- increased consumer interest in lower-calorie options, which would incentivize
- reformulation of current menu items to make them lower calorie or decrease portion sizes,
- introduction of new lower-calorie items. Provide additional menu items with lower calorie formulations.
- Reduce the calorie content of existing items through reformulation or by decreasing portion sizes.
Capella Innovation can help you to choose the right items for your restaurant/food service and provide calories and sodium for your menu.