Abstract
In 2008, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) adopted a regulation that requires chain restaurants with 15 or more locations nationwide to post calorie information prominently on menu boards and menus. This regulation is intended to help customers make informed choices at the point of purchase. To assess the impact of this calorie labeling requirement, NYC DOHMH is conducting 3 studies to examine changes in (1) customer purchasing behavior, (2) awareness about calorie posting, and (3) menu options at fast-food chains, before and after implementation of the regulation. Preliminary results suggest that posting calorie information prominently at the point of purchase can increase the number of customers who see and use that information. The city's approach to calorie labeling helps provide customers with important information to make food choices. Calorie labeling policies have gained support in jurisdictions across the nation as implementing regulations such as this one can have broad implications at the population level