Spring 2010 / Vol. 7

Nutrition is a very important topic that effects the restaurant industry. To help you learn more, we went straight to an expert to provide you with an overview of nutrition and the restaurant industry. We hope this spurs you to think about how your work can help provide healthy meals and dining experience to your customers and promote a healthy lifestyle.

We also ask that you take a few minutes to complete a survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PTKGCZS . Your feedback will help us give you the information you need to be successful in your education and career.

Sincerely,
NRAEF Scholarship Program

Make a Healthy Impact on the Restaurant Industry

Submitted by Maggie Sommers, Registered Dietitian, National Restaurant Association

The National Restaurant Association is committed to proactively shaping nutrition policy as it relates to our industry. Today, the restaurant industry faces an increasingly large number of nutrition policy changes at the federal, state, and local levels. These challenges include nutrition information disclosure, food marketing to children, and sodium reduction. With restaurants providing more than 70 billion meal and snack occasions in 2009 to 130 million individual food service patrons, the food service industry is committed to being part of the solution in helping America eat healthier. These nutrition challenges, paired with the industry commitment to be part of the solution, provide opportunities for both future chefs and registered dietitians to work with our country's restaurants and foodservice companies to initiate and inspire healthy changes.

Menu Labeling

Health care reform, more formally known as The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, signed into law on March 23, 2010, includes a provision which creates a national, uniform nutrition-disclosure standard. The provision, found in Section 4205, amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act by requiring chain restaurants with 20 or more locations to provide specific nutrition labeling information. Restaurants meeting this criteria must post calories on menus, menu boards, and drive-thru boards. Buffets, salad bars, and other self-service items are also included under the agreement and would have to provide caloric information adjacent to the item. Establishments must also provide additional nutrition information in writing (e.g. a brochure) upon request. This additional written nutrition information includes; calories from fat, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, sugars, dietary fiber, and protein.

Chefs have the opportunity to assist with menu labeling by helping restaurants reformulate recipes to make them healthier. This in turn will allow restaurateurs to offer and display healthier menu options for health conscious customers.

Registered dietitians can support menu labeling, by working with restaurateurs to analyze menu items to determine their nutritional value for posting purposes.

Food Marketing to Children

In December 2009, proposed voluntary standards for food marketing to children from ages 2 to 17 were released during a progress report from an interagency working group. The interagency working group comprised of the Federal Trade Commission, the Food & Drug Administration, Health & Human Services, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will send their recommendations to Congress in June 2010, after a public comment period. While the National Restaurant Association is working with membership to develop restaurant industry feedback on this proposal, there is room for chefs and registered dietitians to make a positive difference.

Chefs, in this case, have the opportunity to focus on creation of innovative healthy children menu offerings. Kids' menu options no longer have to be limited to chicken tenders, fries, and a soft drink. This space allows for conception of new, healthful options or healthy substitutions to typical offerings.

Registered Dietitians can provide counsel to restaurateurs by developing creative and effective initiatives that support combating the growing problem of childhood obesity.

Sodium Reduction

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has called for the food industry to gradually reduce the sodium content of the food supply over the next five years stating this action will lower health care costs and prevent 150,000 premature deaths every year. NYC Mayor Bloomberg has launched a voluntary sodium reduction framework for processed and restaurant foods using specific sodium targets and dates for specific food categories.

Chefs have the opportunity to assit restaurants by reformulating recipes to reflect changes that are lowerin sodium.

Registered Dietitians can support restaurateurs by developing strategic plans to support reducing sodium over time and development of healthier menu items in general.

If you are interested in pursuing a career in the restaurant industry that focuses on nutrition, here are a few steps to help you get started:

• Take courses in healthy menu innovation, to learn strategies to create healthy items or reformulate recipes improving their healthfulness. Chef superstars like Ellie Krieger, RD and Jamie Oliver are leading the way in healthy menu innovation and are gaining a lot of media attention.
• Learn how to conduct a nutrition analysis of a recipe
• Apply for internships at restaurants or foodservice companies to gain experience in the nutrition department or in the test kitchens.
• Stay up to date on nutrition policy issues by checking out the National Restaurant Association advocacy Web site, joining our listservs, or attending Study Group meetings.
• Seek a mentor that works in the industry. Learning from an expert that already works in the field can help provide guidance and support students need when getting started.

Reader Q&A

Q: How do you pick the scholarship recipients?

A: You can apply for a scholarship every year that you are in school and meet the requirements and criteria. Many students who did not receive a scholarship the first time re-worked their application to improve the essay(s) and letters of recommendation to help improve their chance of receiving a scholarship. Good grades and work experience are also important. If you don't have a job, start volunteering at a soup kitchen or other events to get the experience of what it is like to work in a fast-paced kitchen.

Q: If I don't receive a scholarship this year, can I reapply next year?

You can apply for a scholarship every year that you are in school and meet the requirements and criteria. Many students who did not receive a scholarship the first time re-worked their application to improve the essay(s) and letters of recommendation to help improve their chance of receiving a scholarship. Good grades and work experience are also important. If you don't have a job, start volunteering at a soup kitchen or other events to get the experience of what it is like to work in a fast-paced kitchen.

Visit the NRAEF Scholarship Program Web site, www.nraef.org/scholarships to learn more. If you have any other questions, feel free to contact us at scholars@nraef.org or call 800-765-2122 ext. 6738.