DEVELOPING EVIDENCED-BASED GUIDELINES FOR INCORPORATING INFORMATION AND INCREASED OFFERINGS OF SUSTAINABLE DIET ON RESTAURANT MENUS

The US Food and Drug Administration's Nutrition Innovation Strategy focuses on enhancing consumers' ability to 'seek and identify' healthier food products. The growing occurrence of preventable deaths due to poor nutrition and unhealthy diets has increased the urgency for clear nutrition labeling and education information for consumers. The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee in their 2015 Advisory Report also recommended providing consumers information on sustainable diets. In our pilot study, consumers in a restaurant setting indicated their willingness to shift away from animal-protein meals to plant-based options when presented with information about the meal's environmental costs. Comprehensive informational approaches that integrate health and environmental benefits could encourage consumers to choose healthier and sustainable meals. Enhanced restaurant menu offerings of such meals and related information could positively impact the sustainability of consumers' food choices given the increased expenditure on food-away-from-home. In this Strengthening Seed Grant, we propose to investigate demand and supply factors to improve menu labeling, and availability of healthier and environmentally-friendly meals. Successful conclusion of this seed grant will lead to a broadly focused standard grant proposal of national scope. Specific objectives are:Evaluate consumers' willingness to pay for access to health and environmental footprint information on restaurant menus.Determine the challenges and obstacles restaurants face to offer information on, and choices for, healthier and environmentally sustainable meals.Identify feasible training and extension programs that would provide guidance to restaurants on how to offer healthier and sustainable meals, and associated information.