Citation
(2010), "Diners eating opportunities", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 40 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/nfs.2010.01740eab.031
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2010, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Diners eating opportunities
Article Type: Food facts From: Nutrition & Food Science, Volume 40, Issue 5.
While it appears that the majority of consumers support the use of nutritional information on menus in an out-of-home environment, they want it on their own terms. In a survey of nearly 400 consumers, conducted by The Mystery Dining Company, support for the inclusion of nutritional details such as calorie counts was high at 58 per cent, however, 44 per cent indicated that if it was compulsory for foodservice operators to make this information available they would prefer to have an option of ordering from a menu without the information displayed. Three quarters of respondents also felt that the presence of nutritional information would influence their ordering behaviour. “The anticipated behavioural changes in diners were mixed and understanding likely reactions is something that operators could benefit from should they be considering the introduction of nutritional information on menus, or if it was made compulsory as has been proposed by the Food Standards Agency”, explains TMDC director Sally Whelan. “Half of the respondents indicated that they would order a dish with fewer calories in each course. This response alone suggests that an establishment's most popular dishes may lose favour quickly if they are perceived to be `too high' in calories or fat content when compared with other menu options, and this may too have an impact on profitability if menu design is not addressed”.
Of the remaining consumers, 24 per cent suggested that they would potentially forgo a starter or a dessert to order their preferred main meal, again something Whelan points out could damage an operation's bottom line. Only 16 per cent of those who were surveyed said that they would pay no consideration to nutritional factors when ordering a meal out. Of the majority who do take it into consideration fat content (40 per cent) was the most important health consideration, followed by calories (20 per cent) and salt content (10 per cent).
Seven out of ten people surveyed were not aware that the FSA had previously recommended the inclusion of calorie counts on menus across the foodservice sector. Visit: www.mysterydining.com