Why Calorie Information Has Been Removed Across SNHU Menu Boards

Yona Voss-Andreae Staff Writer

Since the Affordable Care Act was signed into law in 2010, restaurants across the nation have been required to post calorie information on menus. However, with the leadership of SNHU’s dietitian Kristen Chulada, Dine SNHU opted to approach labeling with caution. While Dine SNHU still follows FDA guidelines, is this the right decision for the well-being of the community?

Enacted at the beginning of last year, these measures limit students’ access to calorie information. Menu boards do not display calories. A pamphlet displayed to the right of the dining hall’s main entrance titled ‘Health and Wellness Guide’ contains information to an extent; however, many items served are unlisted.

“What I have seen is that diet culture is running rampant, especially on college campuses,” said Chulada. “Eating disorders are increasing, people’s concerns with body image, dieting, and weight loss.”

‘Bite U,” an app for mobile phones, displays nutrition facts for most of Dine SNHU’s offerings; however, the information provided is vague and hidden behind lengthy, cumbersome navigation menus. The nutrition facts section is often outdated and fails to deliver relevant information.

“Calorie information is still available on our Bite app; you can go on and look for calorie information that way if you are trying to make a choice based on calories,” said Chulada. “I recognize that some people aren’t triggered in that way about...calorie information and they are able to look at it and want to use it in a way that’s healthy for them; but the majority of people aren’t at that place, and they are using it for dieting reasons and dieting is one of the leading causes for eating disorders.”

By removing calorie postings from menu boards, Chulada aims to create a more accommodating environment for those struggling with their relationship to food. However, the lack of easily obtainable health information for the majority of individuals can have a negative effect, especially when people are trying to make healthier decisions.

“Originally the FDA put [calorie labeling] laws in place because there was an obesity epidemic...and that there were health concerns, but we have seen, even with these laws in place and with the calorie information available, there is still people struggling with health and weight, and calorie information was not as useful as the FDA thought it would be,” said Chulada.

A review conducted by experts at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that, at least in a cafeteria setting, calorie labeling has a measurable effect on the choices people make. Food vendors have also been influenced to display less caloric variations on their existing menus.

“When you are at your home and someone is telling [you] automatically how many calories are in my food right before I eat it, that can be really challenging for some people and sway them to second guess the food choices they are making,” said Chulada. “I wanted to take the calories away from the ‘in your face’ when making your food decision.”

Salad bar at the SNHU Dining Hall.

(Image courtesy: Taylor Posik)