Sodium menu labelling: priorities for research and policy

Abstract

Objective: To understand the different sodium menu labeling approaches that have been considered by state and local policy-makers in the U.S., and to summarize the evidence on the relationship between sodium menu labeling and sodium content of menu items offered by restaurants or purchased by consumers. Design: Proposed and enacted sodium menu labeling laws at the state and local levels were reviewed using legal databases and an online search, and a narrative review of peer-reviewed literature was conducted on the relationship between sodium menu labeling and sodium content of menu items offered by restaurants or purchased by consumers. Setting: Local and state jurisdictions in the U.S. Results: Between 2000 and 2020, 38 laws – 11 at the local level and 27 at the state level – were proposed to require sodium labeling of restaurant menu items. By 2020, eight laws were enacted requiring chain restaurants to label the sodium content of menu items. Five studies were identified that evaluated the impact of sodium menu labeling on sodium content of menu items offered by restaurants or purchased by consumers in the U.S. The studies had mixed results: two studies showed a statistically significant association between sodium menu labeling and reduced menu item sodium content; three showed no effects. Conclusion: Data suggest that sodium menu labeling may reduce sodium in restaurant menu items, but further rigorous research evaluating sodium menu labeling effects’ on menu item sodium content, as well as on the sodium content in menu items purchased by consumers, is needed.

Primordial prevention: Reducing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in racial/ethnic populations

“…This proposal requires food manufacturers to limit saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars if labeled as “healthy” [51] . Some states and localities such as in New York City, NY and Philadelphia, PA, already require restaurants to post excess sodium warnings on restaurant menus [52] .…”

Front-of-Package-Label-Style Health Logos on Menus—Do Canadian Consumers Really Care about Menu Health Logos?

“…Several systemic reviews that examined the effects of calorie labelling on foods purchased or consumed in real-world and laboratory settings showed mixed results, concluding that impacts are limited [ 12 , 13 , 14 ]. There has been no national policy on health logos on menus worldwide, and New York City and Philadelphia were the first two cities to put sodium warning icons next to restaurant menu items that contain more than 2300 mg of sodium [ 15 ].…”