Bill requires nutrients
list at eateries

Many customers need nutrition information because they have to follow prescribed diets for medical reasons -- such as the management of Type 2 diabetes. Others are battling the bulge and just want to keep calories, fat and/or carbohydrates under control. Also, aging baby boomers are rapidly creating increased need and demand for this information.

Bills were introduced this year by both the state House (HB 1579) and Senate (SB 1098) that would require franchise restaurants to provide nutrient information about their regular fare. Only the Senate bill appears to still be alive.

Question: Is this menu-labeling legislation unique to Hawaii?

Answer: There are some new aspects to these bills, but the concept is not new. In 1996 a U.S. District Court ruled that all restaurant foods bearing nutrient or health claims must comply with the definitions of the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1993 and provide nutrient information to consumers. This law went into effect on May 2, 1997, and enforcement was relegated to the individual states. But the law has never been enacted in Hawaii.

The proposed state legislation goes a step further by requiring franchised retail food establishments with 10 or more outlets to provide printed nutritional information for all standard menu items.

Q: Is this legislation needed?

A: Yes, for a number of reasons. First, it would finally get Hawaii in step with the existing 1997 federal regulations.

Second, there are restaurants in Hawaii making nutrient (low-fat) or health claims (the heart symbol indicating a heart-healthy item) on their menus without documentation that they meet the legal definitions. Many restaurants have assumed that certain items are healthy or low fat, but their claims clearly do not meet the legal criteria of federal law. Conversely, many items that meet the healthy criteria are not identified.

Third, ingredients and techniques used in restaurants can vary dramatically from those used at home. Consequently, a healthy recipe at home might or might not be as healthy in the restaurant.

Q: What nutrient information would be provided to the customer?

A: The Senate bill now requires identification of four of the so-called "bad nutrients" (calories, saturated fat plus trans fat, carbohydrate, and sodium) and ignores other nutrient information that would help consumers make better food choices (for example, total fat, protein and fiber).

Q: Will nutrient analysis be too costly for restaurants to implement?

A: No. Federal guidelines allow restaurants to evaluate their recipes using computer nutrient analysis, which is allowed for certain food labels as well. If the proposed Hawaii regulation allows computer analysis, the cost to the purveyor can be very reasonable.

Workshops for computer nutrient analysis of recipes are conducted by the Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences Department at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Information is available at 956-7095.