In the January issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, an article was published regarding the impact of nutritional labels on food choices at different Dutch work cafeterias. The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences made to food choices, and if it stimulated consumers to make healthier choices or if customers actually pay attention to the nutritional information in the product.
The Choices nutrition logo is found around European countries in supermarket chains and different locations. This logo is similar to the Smart Choices program, which appears on the front of the pack of certain food items, such as cereal boxes, breads, yogurts, etc. along the United States. Both these logos inform the
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The menus consisted of one freshly prepared Choices sandwich, one regular sandwich, one Choices soup and a regular soup, aside from the regular products they offered, such as dairy products, beverages and other hot meals. The employees from the cafeterias kitchens were trained to make sure all the items in the selected menus were prepared the exact same way. The prices of these products were the exact same. Other items in the cafeterias offered, such as snacks, fruits, salad bar, etc, were not included in the study since said products did not comply with the Choices criteria. A three-week menu cycle was created and rotated three times to fulfill the nine-week period. Also, menus explaining the meaning of the Choices logo were available to focus the employee’s attention to the products offered, intended to make the employees to make healthier choices. The control cafeterias did not use any logo or provide any other type of information on the products from the study menu.
Aside from the collection of the data regarding the sales on Choices products and other non-Choices products offered in the menu, information was also collected from other foods offered in the cafeterias, such as the sales on fried foods, fresh fruit (included as Choices menu item) and salads to see if the intervention of the Choices labeling had any effect on the sales of these other products.
To see if the intervention of the labeling in the
Zinczencko complains that unlike many other hazardous items, fast food does not come with warnings on how terrible the food is for one’s health and its future effects. He emphasizes that even if the customers were able to obtain the nutritional facts, they are not palpable, but rather obscure. He points out that the fast-food companies make the nutrition labels vague and misleading; they calculate the calories for every separate part of the meal, and they make it so the consumer must pay attention to serving size as well. He observes that the fast-food industry can get away with confusing labels because there are not any Food and Drug Administration labeling requisites (Word Smart, p. 220) covering fast food. Zinczenko complains that there is not any sort of nutritional labeling on the menus at fast-food restaurants. Now, nine years later, there are some changes, but his point is still valid. McDonald’s menu now states the calories of each meal, but as Zinczenko points out, it is very difficult to
Research shows that when such information is given, customers use it to limit the way they eat. This can consume an average loss of calories than they typically did before labeling. This trend poses increased risk, not just in terms of calories, but in terms of unhealthful ingredients such as fat and sodium. According to the passage, "the U.S. government agrees that restaurant meals should be labeled. It is part of the Affordable Care Act of 2010, which requires that standard menu items include information on nutrition 1". This poses that fast food places and restaurants should in fact label information, not only for ones own health but it is required.
When it comes to food in today's day and age it correlates with being convenient, fast, and budgeting because people are usually on the go. Generally, people are used to a grab and go routine between work, school, and a family life. Government regulations such as the FDA and other laws given to factories and supermarkets are being trusted to keep the population safe from any food dangerous; therefore, people don’t do their own research on the foods they’re serving. Authors Pollan and Schlosser in Food Matters, allows individuals to analyze and think about the intake of foods used in their daily life. Pollan shares some rules to be considered when shopping for foods in the supermarket. If people read in detail the theories and information given
An email invitation with survey link was sent to panel members, where they were randomly assigned to view one of five menu boards, which differed in types of labeling; and instructed to make a meal selection as if they were at fast food restaurant chain. Also, respondents had to fill out a questionnaire at the
Zinczenko's is experienced in the matter of fast food and the disastrous effects it can have on a person's health because he experienced it from a first-person perspective. His personal experiences and the knowledge that he gathered through the years enabled him to understand that many fast-food companies make it difficult for customers to interpret information concerning their products. The writer highlights that many people are tricked into adopting particular attitudes with regard to foods because they believe that it is healthy for them to do so. However, it appears that even salads are typically probable to contain much more calories than advertised.
When deciding what to eat for dinner, the nutritional value of food can be an important aspect of the decision. However, unlike grocery items and tobacco products, fast-food items do not require nutrition labels. Zinczenko emphasizes to his audience that the nutritional information, provided by the fast-food companies, can be confusing to understand:
One of the author's good points, is the fact that even though fast food restaurants have now started showing their food's nutritional values, they seem to deliberately show them in such a way that makes it easy to miss a few important details.
Background: The group project focused on evaluating whether the environment in school lunchrooms employed environmental change strategies that encouraged healthy eating. These strategies involved using behavioral economics to improve meal selection. Group project evaluations would use surveys, focus groups and observation to evaluate the presence of Ravenswood City School District School lunchrooms strategies used for food labelling, nutrition education, portion sizing, taste expectations, smart pricing, suggestive selling, visibility, the presence of competing foods, positive communication by cafeteria
The greatest disadvantage of the food industry is unhealthy eating. This is derived from high amounts of sodium which can be found in most fast food industries. The manner in which these foods are cooked also plays a pivotal role in the unhealthy aspects of certain menu items. Ingredients which are not understood by consumers who are becoming more health conscious has
What i mean by this is people with healthy habits look for these labelings to be on their menus because it helps the se how much calories or fats are in a certain food and it's not just people with healthy habits that do this it is everybody a lot of people look for labeling on their menus of their foods. If you read paragraph three of food labeling if states “this trend poses increased risks for all of us, not just in terms of calories, but in terms of unhealthful ingredients such as fat and sodium. Armed With relevant information, consumers can address this risk and be better for
Budget development should consider future changes that might influence the operation (Payne-Palacio & Theis, 2015, P.473). Not only budgeting, managers make decisions regarding service, product and performance evaluation in order to provide high-quality service. The active communication within customers and departments, training program and implementation of technology innovation is aimed to ensure the quality of service and product. A good menu design makes the operation more efficient and effective by considering the work process and sanitation in advance. This could help ensure the quality of the
For decades the Fast-food industry has supplied Americans with tasty, comforting food, quickly and at a low cost. It was not until recently, when the health craze first hit America in the late 1980’s that the corporations developed a new approach to marketing health food products to fit their customer’s wants (Nielsen). The most common fast food chains, such as McDonalds and Subway, started advertising “healthier” food items on their menus to continue appealing to the general public. While fast food restaurants give the impression of offering healthy food, nutritionist studies show healthy alternatives are not as nutritious as advertised and can lead to possible calorie underestimation and overconsumption (Chandon 85). In order to
* Introducing nutrition information panels on the packaging of regular menu items. This allows for enhanced consumer information and education, enabling individuals and families to make better dietary choices.
Inside the front doors of a grocery store, customers are presented with a diverse, vibrant display of fresh fruits and vegetables. With its inviting rainbow of bright colors, the produce section leads past the wafting, sweets smells of bread and pastries in the bakery and through winding aisles stocked with an assortment of goods. Linings the aisles and fillings shelves are rows and rows of boxes of pasta, pre-made meals, processed foods, and more snacks and sweets than one would know what to do with. Grocery stores present shoppers with a myriad of choices. The shelves and displays are filled with a variety of different brands and options to choose from, which offers customers a tough and potentially stressful decision when shopping. However, before a customer decides upon a specific brand or item, whether that happens to be a name-brand product, competitor, or store-brand, they are faced with an even more important choice; they must first make a decision on whether they want to buy whole foods and produce, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and other healthy choices, or more processed “junk” foods like sugary drinks and snacks or enriched breads and pasta. Not only must costumers decide between specific brands and deals, but they must also choose which of these types of food is best for them and their interests. Consumers must constantly weigh the different factors that are presented when comparing foods; between price, ingredients, health, availability, and overall
Understanding how consumers respond to food labels is an area of research that has attracted much attention recently.