The recent passage of the health care reform package focused mainly on insurance coverage, but buried deep in the document is a provision for national menu labeling. By this time next year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will have developed specific regulations for the posting of calorie information on menu boards at restaurant chains with 20 ore more locations.
For many brands, the new law will entail a change in menu design rather than the launch of a fact-finding mission. Most chains post nutritional information on their Web sites, and a number also have the information available in brochures at the store level.
But if recent media attention given to a study revealing discrepancies between actual calories and posted values is any indication, brands may want to double check their information. In that study out of Tufts University, researchers found that actual menu items from several Boston-area restaurants averaged 18 percent higher in calories than their posted values.
Local media outlets also have conducted their own investigations into the accuracy of brand's posted calories, such as one done by New York City's CBS 2 News last May. The news station found discrepancies in calorie information at local Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks outlets, with one Dunkin' sandwich containing 100 calories more than what was posted.
Beyond the media scrutiny, fast casuals also need to be aware that the national menu labeling regulations include fines for not posting the information as well as posting information that is inaccurate above a certain percent. Like the standard for packaged foods, the regulation will allow for a 20 percent discrepancy.
Lauren Swann, a nutrition consultant, said that although the media latched onto the Tufts study's dismay over the 18 percent discrepancy, the industry needs that leeway.
"The FDA has always allowed a 20 percent margin for certain nutrients," she said, noting that restaurants follow the guidelines set out for packaged foods. "That is not to give manufacturers or restaurants license to put in 20 percent extra calories. That's because in the real world of the food production environment, whether it's retail or foodservice, it's pretty impossible to hit your production exactly on the head every single time."
When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration tests foods for their nutritional value, they ask for three samples of the same item. That allows for naturally occurring differences between batches of product. For example, one muffin with raisins might contain four raisins, while another eight.
Conducting a random sampling of only one item per store, as in the Tufts study, doesn't allow for those variances, Swann said. What brands should be more concerned about is whether they are consistently over their posted values.
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"If they randomly sample over a period of time and they're consistently 10 to 20 percent over every time, that isn't (good) either," she said. "That allowance is because the FDA realizes there isn't perfection out there, but over time, the numbers should average out much closer to (the posted amount)."
Restaurants with stores in areas already under state or local menu labeling requirements should alreayd be following best practices for determining their nutritional information. Here is a look at those practices.
Choose the best method of analysis
The FDA uses chemical analysis to test foods' nutritional values, but that method is the most expensive. Some chains rely on consultants, such as Swann, who are experts in nutrition and familiar with the necessary software. Other chains rely on myriad of software applications available for calculating nutritional values using information provided by their ingredient and product vendors, including online tools such as FoodCalc's MenuCalc.com.
Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said that any of the above methods are acceptable. But brands that decide to do their own calculations need to be as well versed as a nutrition consultant would be.
"If you use the software, you do need someone who knows the recipes well and who knows how to use the software," she said.
Break down the recipe
Most large chains have already done this legwork, but smaller fast casuals may not have. For those just now calculating their menu items' nutritional value, they need to break down every component of the recipe, including knowing the vendor for each ingredient.
Chain restaurants tend to have an advantage over independents that are just starting the process because they have already systemized their recipes. But it still takes time to input the components of the recipe and nutritional values taken from vendor-supplied specification sheets.
Swann said she takes operators step by step through the recipe, looking at cuts of meat, whether sauces or seasoning mixes are made in-house or supplied by a vendor and how the food is prepared. Those factors can have an impact on the amount of sodium and fat in a menu item.
"Anything that has the potential for having significant amounts (or variable amounts) of sodium or fat or cholesterol, that's what you want to hone in on," she said.
Restuarants that prepare their own roasted, marinated or baked menu items may want to send those foods to a laboratory for analysis because the nature of the cooking process make calculating the values difficult.
Keep information up to date
Lucy Needhan, president and CEO of FoodCalc, provider of the MenuCalc.com online nutritional calculator solution, said that keeping vendor spec sheets up to date is essential to determining an accurate nutritional analysis.
FoodCalc updates its online database every time a vendor updates its information. But software powered by CD-ROM may have delays in receiving the new data.
It's also important that chains update their database when they switch suppliers.
"Don't assume it is the same, especially with sodium," she said. "That's a hidden nutrient we can't see or (often) taste."
Train staff in portion control
Many fast casuals have strict protocols for portion control as they work to keep down costs and protect their profit margins. But sometimes their staff can undermine their efforts by being heavy handed in the food preparation or in serving sizes.
