A little background<\/strong><\/p>\n Eddie left his doctor\u2019s office with strict advice to watch what he eats.\u00a0 He had never seen any calorie or nutritional information provided by his favorite go-to restaurants.\u00a0 Eddie thought to himself, \u201cWouldn\u2019t it be great if I knew how many calories I was eating?\u00a0 I wish all my favorite restaurants would publish this info on their menus so I know how much I should order!\u201d<\/p>\n <\/em>Fortunately for Eddie and many others alike, in 2014, new menu labeling requirements set by the US federal government\u00a0mandate<\/strong>\u00a0all restaurant chains more than 20 locations post nutritional information for standard menu items where customers may be more likely to see it -on their menus or menu boards. Total calories, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrates, sugars, fiber and total protein will also\u00a0have<\/strong>\u00a0to be made available in writing upon request.<\/p>\n Public health studies are beginning to show that\u00a0menu<\/strong>\u00a0labeling<\/strong>\u00a0may influence consumers to choose menu items with a\u00a0lower<\/strong>\u00a0number of calories. In 2007, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene commenced a study on the Purchasing Behavior and Calorie Information at Fast-Food Chains in New York City1.\u00a0 According to the British Medical Journal\u2019s release of the findings in July 2011, New Yorkers who bought lunch at\u00a0several<\/strong>\u00a0major fast food chains used posted menu calorie counts to make\u00a0lower<\/strong>\u00a0calorie choices. National public opinion polls show that up to 83 percent of Americans favor menu labeling!<\/p>\n Maintaining compliance<\/strong><\/p>\n New menu legislation creates\u00a0new<\/strong>\u00a0concerns for restaurant owners worried about\u00a0not<\/strong>\u00a0being in compliance. Communicating information\u00a0accurately<\/strong>\u00a0and in a\u00a0timely<\/strong>\u00a0manner<\/strong>\u00a0will be more important now than\u00a0ever<\/em>\u00a0before. Digital menu systems, such as the\u00a0Insight\u00ae<\/strong>\u00a0line of solutions from Delphi Display Systems, boast product-centric menu creation and management tools that\u00a0easily<\/em>\u00a0allow the restaurant operator to maintain\u00a0consistency<\/strong>\u00a0in distributing calorie, ingredient, and other nutritional information to each catalog\/menu item. A\u00a0key<\/strong>\u00a0benefit of using a digital menu system is the ability to make system-wide changes; whether an ingredient change is for one restaurant or a thousand locations, it can be made once from a\u00a0single<\/strong>\u00a0computer or tablet.<\/p>\n What information is important to my guests?<\/strong><\/p>\n Society has become more\u00a0health<\/strong>\u00a0conscious<\/strong>\u00a0and increasingly millions of Americans have dietary restrictions. People with sensitivities or allergies are pretty good at asking restaurants about which food elements are being used almost\u00a0all<\/strong>\u00a0the time to make sure, but there is a\u00a0large<\/strong>\u00a0degree of assumption in many dishes. Often, front-end restaurant workers will not know what ingredients have gone into the preparation of a meal. As a food service provider, nutritional analysis of menu items can not only\u00a0help<\/strong>\u00a0consumers make more conscious decisions, but also create a more\u00a0knowledgeable<\/strong>\u00a0crew who otherwise could not advise guests accurately. This practice has the potential of creating increased customer loyalty, a staff empowered by transparency, and a better-quality dining experience for the consumer.<\/p>\n Food allergies<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Researchers estimate that up to\u00a015 million Americans<\/strong>\u00a0have food allergies. There is\u00a0no<\/strong>\u00a0cure for food allergies; therefore,\u00a0complete<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0strict<\/strong>\u00a0avoidance of certain foods is the\u00a0only<\/em>\u00a0way to prevent reactions.\u00a0<\/em>Every 3 minutes, a food allergy reaction sends someone to the emergency room \u2013 that is more than 200,000 emergency department visits per year. Gluten Sensitivity and Celiac Disease<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Approximately\u00a018 million people\u00a0<\/strong>have\u00a0gluten sensitivity\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>by which the ingestion of gluten can cause gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, fatigue, depression, and joint pain.\u00a0 The only treatment is to follow a gluten-free diet.\u00a0 Unfortunately, some people have an even more severe condition.\u00a0Celiac Disease<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0is a genetic, autoimmune disorder by which the consumption of gluten causes damage to the small intestine, resulting in non-absorption of nutrients, and possible weight loss, diarrhea, constipation, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, anemia and bone disease. The only treatment is to follow a strict gluten free diet by avoiding wheat, barley, and rye.<\/p>\n Religious & Lifestyle Dietary Restrictions<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Pork is restricted in both\u00a0Jewish<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Muslim<\/strong>\u00a0dietary laws. The cow is considered holy in the Hindu religion, and therefore, the consumption of beef is considered a\u00a0grave<\/strong>\u00a0sin and must be strictly avoided. Vegetarians do not eat\u00a0any<\/strong>\u00a0animals. This includes pigs, chickens, cows, sea animals, and every other animal. In addition to not consuming\u00a0any<\/strong>\u00a0animal flesh, a vegan (strict vegetarian) also doesn\u2019t eat\u00a0dairy<\/strong>\u00a0products,\u00a0eggs,<\/strong>\u00a0or any other product derived from an animal. Vegans also avoid using products that have been tested on animals or made from animal skins. For vegetarians and vegans alike, dietary beliefs have\u00a0clear<\/strong>\u00a0distinctions, cannot be compromised, and should be treated in the same regard.<\/p>\n The more Eddie looked for nutritional information to match up with his doctor\u2019s recommended dietary plan, the more he realized he needed help and information from his local eateries.<\/em><\/p>\n Next Week:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0New Menu Labeling Requirements \u2013 Pt2: \u201cWhat are the\u00a0best\u00a0<\/strong>ways to inform my customers?\u201d<\/p>\n References:<\/p>\n GUIDANCE FOR RESTAURATEURS TO GET IN COMPLIANCE The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) Section 4205 establishes\u00a0national menu labeling requirements\u00a0for specified classes of\u00a0restaurants\u00a0and\u00a0vending machines. As a result,\u00a0nutritional\u00a0disclosure and response to nutritional concerns are among the most\u00a0important\u00a0issues for the restaurant industry to address. A little background Eddie left his doctor\u2019s office with strict advice to watch what he eats.\u00a0 He had never seen any calorie or nutritional information provided by his favorite go-to restaurants.\u00a0 Eddie thought to himself, \u201cWouldn\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/thepongroup.com\/delphi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2226"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/thepongroup.com\/delphi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/thepongroup.com\/delphi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thepongroup.com\/delphi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thepongroup.com\/delphi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2226"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/thepongroup.com\/delphi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2226\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2229,"href":"http:\/\/thepongroup.com\/delphi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2226\/revisions\/2229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/thepongroup.com\/delphi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2226"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thepongroup.com\/delphi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2226"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thepongroup.com\/delphi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2226"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"http:\/\/thepongroup.com\/delphi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/IndoorMenuBoard-300x169.jpg\")
<\/p>\nINDOOR DIGITAL MENU BOARD WITH CALORIES<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n
\nThese 8 foods cause 90% of allergic reactions in the United States2:<\/p>\n\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/thepongroup.com\/delphi\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/food-allergens-300x144.jpg\")
TOP 8 FOOD ALLERGENS<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n\n