Background/Purpose: Many Americans have replaced home-cooked meals with fast food and restaurants meals. This contributes to increased incidences of overweight and obesity. Most Americans lack nutrition awareness regarding restaurant meals. Nutrient labeling of menu items has been suggested to increase nutritional awareness. Implementing policies that require restaurants to disclose nutrition information has the potential to improve nutrition knowledge and food behaviors. The purpose of this paper is to apply the policy level of the Social Ecological Model by examining the use of restaurant menu labeling.
Method: Data sources were obtained from a search of multiple databases including PubMed, Science Direct, Academic Search Premier, and Google Scholar. Study inclusion criteria were publication in the past ten years and utilization of Social Ecological Model and nutrition labeling in restaurants.
Analysis/Results: The initial policies to provide consumers with nutrition information in restaurant settings began at the state levels in 2006. These laws demonstrated success, other states followed, and a national law has been passed and is currently being implemented.
Conclusions: Mandating menu disclosure falls within the policy level of the SEM and can influence a large number of people; this legislation has the opportunity to affect every American who dines at a fast food or chain restaurant. Given the growing obesity epidemic in the U.S., continued research will be necessary to gauge the effectiveness of this new law and the effects on the American people.
See more of: Research Consortium