Do you have that one friend who, after hearing what you ordered at a restaurant, always manages to find a way to say something like, “I would have gotten the dressing on the side and saved 100 calories”? Well now you can do away with those so-called friends, because a new generation of restaurant receipts has replaced them. [More]
nutrition info
Just Because A Calorie Label Is Green Doesn’t Necessarily Mean It’s A Healthier Product
By 3.18.13
When you see the color green in the context of food, what usually pops to mind? Healthfulness, vegetables, nutritious ingredients, perhaps? You’re not alone, as a new study says when consumers see green calorie labels, we usually think it’s healthier than food with labels in other colors. [More]
Should Snapple Sorbet Bars Disclose They Contain Absolutely No Fruit?
By 6.19.12
Fruit-flavored snacks are notorious for their lack of fruit content, but most items with “sorbet” in the name at least use some fruit juice or fruit base. And one might look at the box for Snapple Sorbet Bars and think that the phrase “naturally flavored” implies some fruit content. But a look at the ingredients panel says otherwise. [More]
Why The Math On Your Soda Bottles & Cans Doesn’t Always Add Up
By 6.15.12 — Updated: 6.3.14
In the two years since we first covered the complicated rounding involved with soda bottle nutrition labels, some changes have been made with the goal of clearing up things like calorie count and serving size. But some questions still keep popping up, so it’s probably time for a refresher course. [More]
Panel Suggests Energy Star-Like Labeling System For Sugar, Fats & Sodium In Food
By 10.20.11
When you inspect the nutrition info on a package of food, it provides all sorts of information — grams of sugar and fat, milligrams of sodium — but consumers may not know exactly whether those numbers are high or low. That’s why a U.S. Institute of Medicine — at the behest of Congress and the Centers for Disease Control — has suggested a rating system for food that is not unlike the Energy Star system used for appliances. [More]
Domino's CEO: Why Put Calories On The Menu If 90% Of Our Customers Never Enter The Store?
By 8.16.11
As regulations requiring all restaurants with 20 or more outlets to label their in-restaurant menus with calorie info go nationwide, the CEO of Domino’s Pizza says the idea — as constructed by the federal government — just doesn’t fit a business like his, given the variable nature of pizza and its many toppings and the fact that store owners are paying for sign updates that most customers will never see. [More]
Study: One In Five Menu Calorie Counts Are Off By At Least 100 Calories
By 7.28.11
As restaurant chains begin rolling out menus with calorie counts, one has to wonder just how accurate that information is. A new study claims that nearly one out of every five menu items underestimates by at least 100 calories, with some major chains like Boston Market and Chipotle missing the mark on some items by more than 200 calories. [More]
Theater Owners Don't Want You To Know A Large Popcorn Is Like Eating 3 Big Macs
By 3.23.11
The FDA is reportedly set to announce a decision that would force movie theater operators to post calorie counts next to their items in the same way that restaurant chains must. Not surprisingly, the theater owners are popping mad about this possibility. [More]
Burgerville To Print Custom Calorie Info On Receipts
By 5.19.10
If you’d like to stare, horrified at the fact that you have just ordered a lunch of 1,213 calories, Burgerville is your new favorite burger joint. [More]
How Healthy Is This Juice? Depends If You Speak English Or Spanish
By 7.12.09
Orchida Coconut Juice displays nutrition data in both English and Spanish, but the values aren’t the same. The English nutrition panels claims that the juice has 240 calories and no fat. Apparently, our Spanish-speaking friends are supposed to read that as 150 calories and 2.5 grams of fat. Pictures of the strange panels, inside…
KFC's "Vegetarian Sandwich" Isn't, Stop Kidding Yourself That Fast Food Restaurants Have Vegetarian Options
By 7.22.08
In an effort to appease PETA and other angry vegetarians, KFC recently began selling a vegan, “Unchicken” sandwich in its Canadian locations. Guess what? It’s not vegetarian.
Consumerist's Ultimate Fast Food Nutrition Guide: 2008
By 5.28.08
Back in January of 2007, we took a look at fast food and chain restaurant websites to see who was hiding their nutritional information and who was making it easy for consumers to find out what was in their favorite menu items. We found that some chains were offering a veritable buffet of information, while others either ignored the subject altogether or hid links to PDFs in the depths of their fine print. Because of this, inside, we’ve got a nutritional info report card of about 50 top fast food joints. We tell you whether they have the info online at all, provide nutritional info for all items, if it’s easy to locate, and whether they have allergen info. We also give an overall rating to the overall quality of the nutritional info, and provide direct links to the nutrition page or PDF.
New York City Proposes New Menu Labeling Regulations
By 10.25.07
NYC just isn’t giving up. They’ve rewritten the menu labeling regulation so that rather than making the menu rules dependent on whether or not the restaurant was already supplying nutritional information, all restaurants with more than 15 locations nationally will be required to put calorie info on the menus. This change puts them in accordance with federal law.
Menu Labeling Legislation Gaining Momentum In California
By 8.31.07
According to the Center For Science In The Public Interest, menu labeling legislation is gaining momentum in the California State Assembly. The menu labeling law “would require chain restaurants to list calories on menu boards and calories, saturated and trans fat, sodium, and carbohydrates on printed menus.”
Subway Is Not Ashamed: First Fast Food Restaurant To Put Calorie Info On Menus
By 7.9.07
While the other large fast food chains sue the City of New York to keep calorie information off their menus, Subway has gone ahead and complied with the New York City regulation. Dunkin’ Donuts, meanwhile, submitted a sample menu meant to “prove” that putting calorie info on its menu just couldn’t be done… and the NYC Health Department responded by having its own graphic designer redo the sign to prove that it could be done.
