‘‘Forewarned is forearmed,” as the old saying goes, and never has it been more true
than when it comes to informing dietetics practitioners about the professional opportunities
generated by recent legislation regarding the inclusion of nutrition information on
restaurant menus. Section 4205 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care
Act, passed in March 2010, mandates that restaurants and food vendors with more than
20 locations must disclose calorie information on their menus, menu boards, and vending
machines, while making other nutrition information available to consumers upon request
(
1
). But where will that nutrition information come from? And how will consumers put
it to use? That, of course, is where dietetics practitioners come in. But before you
can put your skills to work by calculating nutrient values or advising the public
on how to interpret them, you need to be aware of all of the implications of the new
legislation, and what they might mean for you professionally. And that's where the
American Dietetic Association (ADA) comes in.To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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References
- A national approach to restaurant menu labeling: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Health Care Act, Section 4205.J Am Diet Assoc. 2010; 110: 1280-1289
- Draft Guidance for Industry: Questions and answers regarding implementation of the menu labeling provisions of Section 4205 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.(Accessed August 25, 2010)
- It all adds up: Nutrition analysis software can open the door to professional opportunities.J Am Diet Assoc. 2011; 111: 214-218
- Coming to the menu: Calorie counts.(Accessed May 1, 2010)
- Making wellness delicious: Building a Healthier Chicago's FIT City program.J Am Diet Assoc. 2010; 110: 1620-1625
- Nutrition beyond the numbers: Counseling clients on nutrient value interpretation.J Am Diet Assoc. 2010; 110: 1800-1803
- CSFAN Constituent Update: FDA releases details on how retail food establishments and vending machine operators with fewer than 20 locations can choose to become subject to the new federal menu labeling requirements.(Accessed August 2, 2010)
- Consumers may not use or understand calorie labeling in restaurants.J Am Diet Assoc. 2006; 106: 917-920
- Task Force Report on Restaurant Nutrition Labeling Research.(Accessed April 27, 2010)
- Calorie data to be posted at most chainsNew York Times.http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/business/24menu.html(Accessed April 29, 2010)Date: March 23, 2010
Article info
Footnotes
This article was written by Ryan Lipscomb, editor at the Journal, Chicago, IL.
Identification
Copyright
© 2011 American Dietetic Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
