NEW YORK Nearly nine out of 10 New Yorkers favor their city’s menu-labeling mandate because they believe it helps them make better choices when dining out, according to a survey conducted last week by Technomic Inc. The Chicago-based foodservice research firm said the results suggested that more areas are likely to adopt similar regulations.
The survey also indicated that a number of New Yorkers are changing their orders because of the nutrition information that is provided, Technomic said.
The New York City law, which fully went into effect in July, requires local units of restaurant chains with at least 15 branches nationwide to post calorie counts on their menus or menu boards for every standard menu item.
In a survey of about 300 people in all five boroughs of the city, Technomic found that 86 percent of the respondents favored the new regulation.
“I kind of sensed there was a shift [in public perception] based on some other work I’ve done concerning government regulation and restaurant responsibility,” said Bob Goldin, Technomic executive vice president.
He expressed surprise at how many respondents were in favor of calorie disclosure. "And not only that, I think it’s an indication that we’re going to see a lot more mandated nutritional disclosure that likely will go beyond calories," he said. "It’s a brave new world."
But Chuck Hunt, executive vice president of the New York City chapter of the New York State Restaurant Association, said he was skeptical of the study and its results.
“When things like this come out, you don’t know the origin of the data,” he said. “An example of this is a survey the health department did when they first introduced [the calorie disclosure] idea. They were handing out free Big Mac gift certificates to people who answered the questions.”
Hunt said area chain operators are “doing what is required of them,” but that the association is still waging a legal challenge of the mandate. "You can’t rush the federal appeals court,” he said. "They work at their own speed."
