Introduction
Significance of the topic
A number of foods have varied nutritional attributes. They can either support the normal functions of the body or act as predisposing factors to a number of health complications. It is due to this fact that I take deep concern on the issue of the proposition that nutritional information to be included on the restaurant menus. Thus, I hereby consider it important to include such information on the menus due to a number of reasons.
This practice will serve to attract a huge number of customers if they realize that a certain restaurant is offering foods recommended by their physicians. Nowadays, most customers are concerned about the value of dishes served in restaurants in terms of calories, cholesterol, and fats among other nutrients. These restaurants can capture the attention of such customers through the preparation of dishes such as low-fat chicken, low-calorie tostadas, and full-course meals like seafood or chicken that contain low levels of sodium or fat and high fiber in addition to high levels of vitamin A and C (Kurtzweil 1).
According to the National Restaurant Association (Kurtzweil 2), more than half of Americans 35 years and older have the tendency of looking out for menu options that offer low-fat diets when eating out. The same has also been observed in 2 out of 5 for customers aged 18 to 34 years (Kurtzweil 1). Besides, most restaurateurs claim that their clientele is increasingly asking for meatless foods. Indications show an increasing interest in healthier restaurant fairs by restaurateurs to cater to the interests of their customers.
This has increased the customer’s health watch in terms of maintaining the ideal body weight. If a manager wants to include in the menu such foods claimed as healthy
(Such as) low-fat, heart-healthy, and cholesterol-free, he should ensure that the nutritional information is readily available to the customers (Brown 108). Basically, these managers must be able to show that the claims are consistent with the standards set by the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act. Inclusion on the menu of the ingredients and nutritional facts about the foods sold seem convenient for most health-sensitive customers. The information should include the value content of the dish in terms of its ingredients such as fats, sodium, carbohydrates, and proteins among other nutrients.
Nutritional information on the menu will serve to control the eating habits of many customers besides giving them the opportunity to know what is taking place in the kitchen. According to the article on Men’s Health, it was discovered that obesity is brought about by factors mostly related to foods offered in most restaurants (Zinczenko and Goulding 110). According to the New York Department of Health, one-third of the meals in most restaurants contain wrong proportions of calories and fats in comparison to those proposed by the FDA. This can be avoided through accurate measurement of the ingredients which should also be indicated in the menu. This is possible since nobody would wish to lie about this information since most claims on food contents must be certified by FDA (Brown 108).
Discussions
It is not affirmative that provision of the nutritional information on restaurant menu helps with increasing the customer’s health watch. Eating dishes with high calories and high fats has not been clearly linked with incidences of diseases such as cancer. This is because the relationship between cancer and diet is not as strong as that existing between cancer and smoking.
Additionally, the rate at which restaurants have been taking customer preferences into consideration relative to the claims made on menu items is not clearly accounted for (Kurtzweil 2). Thus there could be no evidence to link the provision of nutritional information on the menu and an increase in the number of customers who prefer certain kinds of foods in such restaurants.
Moreover, restaurants may provide misleading health and nutrition claims (such as) low-fat for desserts that have high fats or claims that certain foods can lower blood pressure and improve vision (Kurtzweil 2). Thus by providing this information, such restaurants can gain an upper hand in business to the disadvantage of others. It is also noted that FDA exempts restaurants from giving information about their dishes and the means of preparing them. Thus it is meaningless to give information that authorities do not expect of you or your business.
In as much as the counter-arguments may be true, far too much evidence is available to support the importance of giving nutritional information on the menu. Firstly, despite diet not bearing a strong relationship with incidences of cancer, preliminary evidence reveals a link between nutritional factors and cancer (Pensiero et al. 5). It is also estimated that certain dietary factors contribute to about 20-40 percent of all cancers. In contrast, other dietary factors are known to have a beneficial effect on cancer development. Therefore, customers can use the nutritional claims to identify foods that are healthful to them or look for statements that comply with FDA’s dietary guidelines.
Furthermore, there have been indications showing that restaurateurs are concerned with the growing preferences of their customers. For instance, an Arizona-based restaurant that helps restaurants and other food processors develop and promote dishes suitable for nutrition and health has shown a steady rise of its clients since 1990 (Kurtzweil 2).
Finally, the probability of a restaurant providing misleading claims is almost negligible currently. This is because; claims about the nutritional values of dishes must meet certain criteria set by the FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These standards require a meal claimed to be healthy to provide one or more of the six key nutrients and contain no food substances beyond levels that can cause a health hazard.
Summary and Conclusion
In this paper, I did look at the various ways in which provision of the nutritional information on the menus is important to both parties involved in this case. Firstly, I managed to show how the volume of sales can be increased by merely mentioning the contents of your products. Secondly, when this information is provided, customers find it much easier to watch both their health and eating habits. Finally, it is much easier for an individual to maintain an ideal body weight when he/she follows the FDA dietary guidelines and understands the contents of what he/she eats.
It is worth noting that provision of this information is not an expense. In fact, this information can just be incorporated into the menus by simply mentioning that the amount of the said nutrient does not exceed the limit set by FDA. However, this information should be accurate but not necessarily precise and due to the changes in taste associated with most healthy meals, it is important to alert your customers in advance. This will help in minimizing customer complains and aid in developing a positive response from one’s customers.
Works cited
Brown, Douglas. The manager’s handbook: how to set, operate and manage a financially successful food service operation. Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc. USA. 2005. Web.
Kurtzweil, Paula. Today’s special: nutrition information. Diane Publishing Company. 1997. Web.
Pensiero, Laura, Osborne, Michael, and Susan, Oliveria. The strange cancer prevention center cookbook: a complete nutrition and lifestyle plan to dramatically lower your cancer risk. Library of congress Publication: New York. 2004. Web.
Zinczenko, David and Goulding, Matt. 16 secrets the restaurant industry doesn’t want you to know vol. 23, No. 1. 2008. Web.