TIME FOR TRUTH IN MENU
With COVID 19, food recalls, food-borne illness, and questionable practices in animal feed, now more than ever it is time for the Truth in Menu movement to take center stage in the dining arena.
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Buongiorno amici:
In 2015, I created Truth in Dining Rhode Island, a FREE Consumer Advocacy Network that protects consumers from fake and untrustworthy food sources. I thought I would be able to energize other restaurants, chefs, owners, and trade members, but unfortunately, the state of Rhode Island was not ready for a partial implementation. So as of today, nothing has changed. We are still in dark measures in a critical time of our food chain and scarcity in shelves. Have you noticed the audacious price increase paired with the decrease in quality?
This article was published seven years ago but remains vividly actual. Allow me to share it with you once again.
Unfortunately, too many food establishments believe that the general consumer has limited food knowledge and will be easily convinced. However, today’s consumers are much more intuitive, prepared, and in touch with a fingertip on all foods, ingredients, methods, and videos. Therefore, food establishments are morally obligated to deliver what their menu boards and social feed advertise.
A menu is a contract in which an establishment promises to deliver what is listed, including additional information on health tips, nutrition, and overall history, geography, and territory. Today’s consumer wants to pay for honest services and goods that will include accurate and pleasurable experiences. Since Rhode Island is well-known for delicious restaurants and well-rounded ethnic cuisines, raising the bar further may be a great addition.
I would like to extend an invitation to Rhode Island Restaurants in joining our network and to initiate a discussion on the matter that benefits all parties.
What’s at risk?
As a hospitality manager, you have a right to advertise your food and beverage products in a way that casts them in their best light. Misrepresenting your products violates what has become known as Truth in Menu laws. Inaccurate or incomplete menus can lead to injuries and illness, affecting guests with food allergies. It can also cause legal action by patrons who feel you have misrepresented your products or by governing agencies for failure to comply with their requirements.
What are your legal obligations?
The various Truths in Menu laws are overseen by dozens of agencies and administrative entities, taking food labeling to much greater accuracy. These laws are continually revised. However, a food service operator can stay updated and comply with Truth in Menu laws. The method is relatively straightforward, and the key is honesty in menu claims regarding the price charged and the food served. Menus should accurately reflect the charging price to the customer.
For example: if a restaurant sells a dozen oysters for a specific price, the staff should deliver one dozen oysters, and the bill’s cost should match that on the menu. Likewise, the guests must know if the menu price includes a mandatory service charge or a cover charge. Accuracy in menus involves much more than honestly and precisely stating a price. It also entails being careful when describing many food attributes, including the preparation style, ingredients, origin, portion sizes, and health benefits.
Because this area is so complex and consumers increasingly demand more accurate information from restaurants, the National Restaurant Association (NRA) and many state associations have produced educational material designed to assist foodservice operators in writing and preparing menus. “A Practical Guide to the Nutrition Labeling Laws” is a publication for the restaurant industry and outlines everything you need to know about nutrition claims you can make for your menu items. You can secure a copy for a modest charge from the NRA. Besides, the Federal government issues food description standards that can greatly assist.
How can you better promote your organization?
Preparation style
Under federal law, the kitchen must carry certain food items and preparation techniques precisely as listed on a menu. The list is long, but for example, items designated as GRILLED must be grilled and not mechanically produced with “grill marks” and then steamed before service; if you describe it as FRESH, the product cannot be frozen, canned, dried, or processed… and so forth.
Ingredients:
Restaurants are not currently required to divulge their ingredient lists to their guests, but specific situations when the ingredients listed on a menu must match those used to make the item. For example, if the house menu says maple syrup, the house is responsible for not serving colored table syrup. If the restaurant must make the substitution, the house manager should inform the guests of those substitutions before ordering.
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Origin:
For many menu items, the origin of the product or its ingredients is significant. For example, many consumers prefer Colorado Lamb, Washington apples, and Bluepoint (Long Island) oysters to other varieties. Therefore, using these terms to describe similar menu items from other places is deceptive and illegal.
Size:
Double-check the weights of items served to ensure you are not misrepresenting portions. For example, “Large” East Coast oysters must, by law, contain no more than 160-210 oysters per gallon, while “Large” Pacific Coast oysters, by law, may have no more than 64 oysters per gallon.
Health benefits:
The federal government issues stringent guidelines on what you can and cannot say about nutritional claims. In addition, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued regulations to ensure that foodservice operators who make health benefit claims on their menus can back them up.
The list is too lengthy to publish in total, but for example: if you claim an item has low sodium, fat, or cholesterol, the article must contain low amounts of these nutrients; to be considered “heart-healthy,” a menu item must meet precise criteria.
Checklist: Managing Truth In Menu Issues
Provide source material
When printing health benefit claims on a menu, further information about the claim should be available somewhere on the menu or provided on request. The FDA permits restaurants to back up their menu claims with a “reasonable” base, such as cookbooks, databases, or other secondhand sources that provide nutrition information. If needed, give a menu caution statement: If your menu contains items that routinely cause people problems (i.e., small bones in fish, sulfates in wine), then it may be wise to state on your menu that these elements are present and that the guest should alert the server to any food allergies before ordering. Check with local experts for assistance: State and local public health departments enforce “Truth in Menu” regulations with direct jurisdiction over restaurants by monitoring their food safety and sanitation practices. In addition, dieticians and legal experts review any menu containing nutritional or health claims in today’s litigious society.
Training:
Train your servers on how to discuss the menu with customers: In addition to carefully developing menus, Truth in Menu laws require that restaurants truthfully and accurately specify what their servers say about menu items and how their food products are promoted or shown in advertisements. For example, suppose the house serves raw meat, fish, poultry, shellfish, and eggs undercooked or cooked to order. In that case, a disclosure identifying the foods, plus a reminder in 11 pt type, must appear on the menu or in a written disclosure declaring that eating the specified types of animal products as raw or under-cooked “may increase your risk of foodborne illness.”
https://www.ultrariskadvisors.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/MHR_Menus.pdf
https://www.distinguished.com/Collateral/1444/risk-management-truth-in-menus.aspx
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