<\/em>The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) Section 4205 establishes national menu labeling requirements for specified classes of restaurants and vending machines. As a result, nutritional disclosure and response to nutritional concerns are among the most important issues for the restaurant industry to address.<\/em><\/p>\n Last week<\/strong>, we introduced the new menu labeling requirements for restaurants, concerns over maintaining compliance, and what information is important to guests.<\/p>\n Eddie sure was glad that the Food and Drug Administration created a national standard for menu labeling at restaurants.\u00a0 It would just be a matter of time before he would find consistent nutritional information at all of his favorite chain restaurants. He looked forward to the instant communication that nutritional and caloric information placed alongside a menu item could offer in making more health-conscious food-related decisions.<\/em><\/p>\n What needs to be disclosed?<\/p>\n Continuing the discussion, it is important for restaurant operators to know what nutritional information the law will\u00a0require<\/strong>\u00a0them to provide to their customers.<\/p>\n 1. Standard Menu Items that appear on indoor and drive-through menu boards should include:<\/p>\n 2.\u00a0Self-Service Food<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Food on Display<\/strong>\u00a0sold at a salad bar, buffet line, cafeteria line or similar self-service facility, and for self-service beverages or food on display, will require a sign be placed next to each food item listing calories per displayed food item or per serving.<\/p>\n 3. To be determined:\u00a0Variable Menu Items<\/strong>\u00a0listed as single item but come in different flavors, varieties, or combinations will need to be disclosed through means determined by The Secretary, including ranges, averages, or other methods. These items include soft drinks, ice cream, pizza, doughnuts and kid\u2019s combo meals.<\/p>\n Consumers want and use nutrition information. According to a 2006 report in the American Journal of Public Health, when given nutrition information on food served in restaurants, diners are\u00a024 to 37 percent less likely<\/strong>\u00a0to choose high-calorie menu items.\u00a0 Some, but not all, quick serve restaurants have made nutrition information available in various ways but the information is\u00a0not<\/strong>\u00a0always accessible at the point of purchase or ordering. This needs to change!<\/p>\n Icons in rich color on digital menu boards, for example, make choices\u00a0easier<\/strong>\u00a0to make for the discerning consumer. The\u00a0top 8 food allergies<\/strong>\u00a0should be made well known to your customers if they are being used in your operations. Using an icon to identify these\u00a0specific<\/strong>\u00a0foods saves\u00a0valuable<\/strong>\u00a0menu space and creates room for aesthetics.<\/p>\n \u2022 Contains Egg\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2022 Contains Beef\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2022 Contains Fish\/Shellfish\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2022 Contains Pork<\/p>\n \u2022 Contains Milk\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2022 Contains Soy\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2022 Contains Nuts (both peanuts & tree nuts)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2022 Gluten Free<\/p>\n \u2022 Vegan\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2022 Halal Friendly\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2022 Vegetarian\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2022 Sugar Free\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2022 Local Ingredients\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u2022 Kosher Friendly<\/p>\n Example Food Icons<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Online menus offer\u00a0convenient<\/strong>\u00a0access from the customer\u2019s personal computer or via mobile app. Quick access to information on what you are serving allows them to make\u00a0conscious<\/strong>\u00a0dining decisions. Customers may\u00a0also<\/strong>\u00a0appreciate your transparency and your efforts to show care for their well-being.<\/p>\n Consider sharing:<\/p>\n Labels on food items are an\u00a0excellent<\/strong>\u00a0way to inform consumers when handed packaged foods items.\u00a0 These labels can be reviewed for a list of ingredients and\/or nutrition facts and the customer can make a decision whether or not to consume. However, it does\u00a0not<\/strong>\u00a0present the consumer with nutritional information prior to point of purchase. Although online menus and labels on food packaging offer great value, they do\u00a0not<\/strong>\u00a0offer the opportunity to engage and inform every customer that walks in the door or pulls up in the drive thru.<\/p>\n Digital menu boards ease compliance with the new legislation and may be\u00a0the single most useful tool\u00a0<\/strong>in informing and engaging customers in point of purchase decision making.<\/p>\n Top benefits of digital menu boards:<\/p>\n Drive<\/strong>\u00a0sales,\u00a0engage<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0inform<\/strong>\u00a0customers with Delphi Display Systems\u2019\u00a0Insight Engage<\/strong>\u00a0software application for indoor and outdoor digital menu systems.\u00a0 Engage software\u2019s product-centric menu creation and management tools\u00a0easily<\/strong>\u00a0allow the user to add calorie, ingredient, and other nutritional information to each catalog\/menu item while presenting compelling HD content.<\/p>\n Eddie was ecstatic when he walked into Freddie\u2019s Fast Falafel!\u00a0 He was astonished by how his favorite Mediterranean caf\u00e9 had upgraded to a digital menu system and on each screen was an allotment of ample space for nutritional and caloric information.\u00a0 In fact, Freddie\u2019s food service workers had become much more aware of the information and more than helpful to Eddie when he had to make a choice which would satisfy not only his hunger but also his doctor\u2019s requirements. Eddie may not have such an issue anymore following his doctor\u2019s orders thanks to the implementation of bright and informative digital menu boards.\u00a0 The answer to Eddie\u2019s health and well-being are clear and the\u00a0Insight\u00ae solution!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Simple delivery and content control on digital menu boards is important to restaurants that want to introduce options for a vast array of consumers and, at the same time, stay in compliance with menu labeling laws.<\/p>\n Read:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0New Menu Labeling Requirements \u2013 Pt1: \u201cGuidance for Restaurateurs to Get In Compliance\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n References:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Related links:<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/omb\/0910_meeting_03152011<\/a><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/omb\/0910_meeting_03182011<\/a><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.fda.gov\/Food\/IngredientsPackagingLabeling\/LabelingNutrition\/ucm248732.htm<\/a><\/p>\n\n
WHAT DOES NOT NEED TO BE DISCLOSED?<\/h4>\n
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WHAT ARE THE BEST WAYS TO INFORM MY CUSTOMERS?<\/h4>\n
TOP 4 WAYS TO CONVEY YOUR MENU INFORMATION:<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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FOOD IDENTIFICATION ICONS<\/h5>\n
ICONS TO CONSIDER:<\/h6>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nONLINE MENUS<\/h5>\n
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LABELS ON FOOD ITEMS PRODUCED AND PACKAGED IN-HOUSE<\/h5>\n
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DIGITAL MENU SYSTEMS<\/h5>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nDELPHI DISPLAY SYSTEMS IS YOUR DIGITAL PARTNER IN COMPLIANCE OF SECTION 4205!
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\n3 Panel Indoor Digital Menu Board with Nutritional Labeling
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KEY FEATURES:<\/h6>\n
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