(Washington, DC) – The National Restaurant Association issued the following statement in response to today's U.S. federal district court decision regarding a New York City Board of Health regulation which dictates how nutrition information should be provided in some of the city's restaurants.
“Today’s ruling on the New York Board of Health’s menu labeling regulation is extremely disappointing. Its flawed approach won’t ultimately help consumers receive nutrition information that is useful to them,” said National Restaurant Association President and CEO Dawn Sweeney. “If this is allowed to go into effect, there could be a patchwork quilt of confusing and contradictory local regulation.
“A significant number of the largest chain restaurants in the country are already providing nutrition information in a host of different ways, and the trend is that more are offering detailed information in convenient formats every day – including brochures, posters, in-store computer kiosks and web sites.
“We are also seeing technology trends that are allowing consumers to access restaurant nutrition in new and innovative ways. The National Restaurant Association has partnered with HealthyDiningFinder.com, a search engine that allows consumers to find nutrition information from more than 55,000 restaurants across the country. And there are other products and programs that are allowing customers to access nutrition information from almost anywhere, through cell phone text messaging and other means.
“We are committed to working collaboratively with all parties to establish a uniform policy that provides consumers access to accurate and relevant information in a way that is meaningful to them.”
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Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which comprises 1 million restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of 14 million employees. Together with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, the Association works to lead America’s restaurant industry into a new era of prosperity, prominence, and participation, enhancing the quality of life for all we serve. For more information, visit our Web site at Restaurant.org.