Preliminary Evaluation Findings of the Informed Dining Program
June 2013
Background
The Informed Dining program is a voluntary nutrition information program for restaurants in Canada with at
least one outlet located in British Columbia. The development of the program took place over a two year period
and involved several consultations with the food industry and public health stakeholders. The current program
design is the result of negotiated decisions aimed at meeting the needs of both industry and public health and is
endorsed by the Canadian and Restaurant Foodservices Association, the BC Restaurant and Foodservices
Association and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada (BC & Yukon). Participating restaurants are
required to:
 Display the program logo and directional statement on the menu or menu board advising guests that
nutrition information is available
 Provide nutrition information for all standard menu items upon request before or at the point of
ordering (calorie and sodium content of standard menu items must be highlighted), and
 Provide information regarding daily calorie and sodium requirements
The Informed Dining program was announced on August 10, 2011. The Ministry of Health partnered with the
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada (BC & Yukon) to implement and evaluate the Informed Dining program
(Refer to Appendix A for a timeline of program milestones).
The goal of the Informed Dining program is to improve the health of British Columbians by helping consumers
make informed food choices when dining out, thereby contributing to the promotion of healthy weights and
reducing the risk of chronic disease. The objectives of the Informed Dining program are to:
 Assist consumers to identify restaurants that disclose nutrition information
 Assist consumers to understand the calorie and sodium value of menu items in relation to their daily
calorie and sodium requirements
 Support restaurants to provide consumers with nutrition information before or at the point of ordering
The Ministry of Health provides a variety of implementation supports for participating restaurants (Refer
Appendix B for a full chart detailing all program implementation supports). In addition to these supports, small
business operators with fewer than five outlets in Canada and fewer than 50 employees per outlet were eligible
for small business support until March 31, 2013 to offset the costs of program implementation. Small business
operators accepted into the program benefited from nutrient analysis, support to reformulate recipes, graphic
design assistance to create a nutrition menu/brochure/poster, and a $300 printing grant to offset costs to
reprint menus.
Purpose
The purpose of this report is to provide a snapshot of early program impact and to identify potential areas for
improvement. Since several of the data collecting activities referred to in this report were conducted soon after
program implementation (approximately 6 months) with relatively few participating restaurants, a full
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evaluation is being planned for 2014/2015 once the program is more established with a greater number of
participating restaurants.
Data Collection Activities
The Ministry of Health and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada (BC & Yukon) collected both process and
outcome data through a number of activities aimed to evaluate program implementation and impact.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada (BC & Yukon):



Point of Purchase Surveys (POP): Point of purchase surveys were conducted with 531 consumers in
November and December 2012 in 4 different restaurants actively participating in the Informed Dining
program.
Restaurant Response Surveys (RRS): A web-based survey was completed anonymously by 7 restaurants
actively participating in the Informed Dining program in January 2013.
Web analytics from the We Want It Campaign: A petition-style campaign that invited British Columbians
to identify restaurants they would like to see provide nutrition information. The campaign was launched
on January 24, 2013 and ran until April 8, 2013.
The Ministry of Health:




Public Opinion Research (POR): Web-based quantitative surveys were conducted with 803 British
Columbians in January 2012 and with 810 residents in February 2013. The aim of these surveys was to
gauge the public interest and support for nutrition information in restaurants.
Informed Dining Promotional Campaign Survey: Ipsos Reid conducted a web-based survey with 400
British Columbia residents in May and June 2012 to assess the impact of the Informed Dining
promotional campaign which was launched on May 14, 2012. This included Global TV promotional
spots, print and out-of-home advertisements, online contesting and social media.
Restaurant Tracker: The Ministry of Health tracks expressions of interest in joining the Informed Dining
program by restaurants and participation through an excel database.
Restaurant Verification Reports: Environmental Health Officers monitor restaurant compliance through
restaurant verification reports, which are tracked by the Ministry of Health.
Refer to Appendix C for further details on evaluation data.
Key Preliminary Findings
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Consumers want nutrition information in restaurants.
Consumers want nutrition information to be visible and accessible at the point of ordering.
There is a lack of awareness of the Informed Dining program amongst consumers.
Consumers have limited knowledge regarding calories and sodium.
A growing number of restaurants are informed and successfully participating in the program.
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Key Preliminary Finding 1. Consumers want nutrition information in restaurants.


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77% of consumers surveyed in BC said it was very important or important to have nutrition information
when selecting their meals (POP).
Full nutrition information (e.g. calories and 13 core nutrients) on a supplemental brochure, pamphlet or
nutrition menu at point of ordering is the preferred choice for visitors to full and quick service
restaurants (38% and 42%)—with select nutrition information (e.g. calories and sodium on the menu or
menu board) a distant second (26% and 23% in the respective full and quick service establishments)
(POR, 2013).
A large majority of British Columbians are more likely to visit a restaurant that provides nutrition
information about its menu items. Both women and men report equally that they prefer restaurants
that provide nutrition information (74% and 67%, respectively) (POR, 2013).
“I want to make educated choices for myself and my children when eating out!”
Amanda, We Want It Campaign website - March 2013
“I care about what I put into my body, and I’m less likely to go back to a restaurant that doesn’t publish
its nutrition info”.
Taylor, We Want It Campaign website - March 2013


The nutrition information made available with Informed Dining has a focus on calories and sodium.
Consumers rated calories (70%) and sodium (69%) as the most useful nutrition information to them
when making an ordering decision at a restaurant (POR, 2013). See Figure 1.
44% of parents reported that nutrition information would be useful to them when making an ordering
decision for their children (POR, 2013). See Figure 1.
% of British Columbians
Figure 1. British Columbians who reported calories and sodium as useful
nutrition information when ordering at a restaurant:
100%
70%
44%
0%
find calories useful

69%
find sodium useful
would use nutrition
information to make an
ordering decision for their
children
From January to April 2013, more than 2,200 British Columbians requested nutrition information be
provided at their favourite restaurants through the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada’s (BC &
Yukon) We Want It campaign. There were 8,373 unique website visits during that time.
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Key Preliminary Finding 2. Consumers want nutrition information to be visible and accessible at the
point of ordering.



79% of British Columbians desire to have nutrition information automatically provided to them in a
restaurant as opposed to having it available only on an “upon request” basis (POR, 2012).
Only 2% of 531 consumers surveyed indicated they asked to see nutrition information before purchasing
their food (POP). 30% of the 520 consumers who did not ask to see nutrition information reported they
did not know nutrition information was available (POP).
Most British Columbians do not think that nutrition information is readily available in restaurants (POR,
2013) (Figure 2).
% of British Columbians
100%
Figure 2. British Columbians who reported that
nutrition information is NOT readily available in BC
restaurants
83%
61%
0%
full service restaurant
quick service restaurant
Key Preliminary Finding 3. There is a lack of awareness of the Informed Dining program amongst
consumers.




1 in 10 BC residents were aware of the Informed Dining program following the May 2012 promotional
campaign (Ipsos Reid).
21% of consumers surveyed reported that they had seen the Informed Dining program logo before (POP).
56% reported that they had not seen the logo in the participating restaurant that day (POP).
Only 2% could correctly identify other Informed Dining participating restaurants (POP).
Key Preliminary Finding 4. Consumers have limited knowledge regarding calories and sodium.





The majority of POP survey respondents did not know the calorie (66 %) or sodium (87%) content of the
meal they had just ordered (POP).
74% of surveyed customers could not accurately report daily calorie requirements for a healthy adult
(POP).
95% of surveyed customers could not accurately report daily sodium requirements for a healthy adult
(POP).
4 in 5 British Columbia residents stated that sodium is a concern to them when they dine out (POR,
2013).
2 in 3 British Columbians would use nutrition information inside a restaurant to select a lower-sodium
alternative in their meal (POR, 2013).
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Key Preliminary Finding 5. A growing number of restaurants are informed and successfully
participating in the program.




As of June 1, 2013, 21 restaurants with 341 outlets were participating in the Informed Dining program
across the province. This includes 16 independent operators, one BC chain, and three national chains.
100% of the restaurants participating in the Informed Dining program indicated they would continue to
participate. 100% would recommend the program to other restaurants (RRS).
The Informed Dining program has received an increasing number of expressions of interests (EOIs), from
restaurants, with a total of 146 as of June 1, 2013 (Figure 3). Interest in the program has been received
from a variety of restaurants including: quick service, full service, small businesses, university retail food
services, and buffet-style establishments.
On April 3, 2013, 22 national chain restaurants representing over 1,800 outlets in BC committed to
participate in the program by the end of 2013 year.
Figure 3. Total Expressions of Interest (EOIs) in the Informed
Dining program
# of EOIs
200
146
150
111
100
50
38
0
2011



2012
2013
Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) have been monitoring the compliance of participating restaurants
since December 2012. Restaurant compliance to program requirements is reported to be greater than
79% (Restaurant Verification Reports). All non-compliance issues are being addressed on a case-by-case
basis with the restaurant and Ministry staff.
91% of customers who asked for nutrition information indicated that the restaurant provided the
nutrition information as requested (POP).
As of March 31, 2013, a total of 36 small business operators received small business support.
"We would have never been able to afford the nutritional analysis otherwise."
–Small Business Operator (RRS, January 2013)
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Summary
The preliminary evaluation findings in this report were collected early in program implementation with few
participating restaurants so they have been used to describe initial program impact and to identify opportunities
for improving program design and support. These findings indicate the program is supporting restaurants to
provide consumers with nutrition information before or at the point of ordering. The program constitutes a
foundation for meeting public demand for nutrition information at restaurants, and—ultimately-- enabling
British Columbians to be able to make informed food choices when dining out. Here, the evaluation findings
identify opportunities to improve the program so that over time, it can meet its overall goal of contributing to
the promotion of healthy weights and reducing the risk of chronic disease in BC.
Multiple types of restaurants in BC have shown interest in the Informed Dining program to date. Small business
operators have been able to participate through government support for menu nutrient analysis that was
offered over the last two years. Currently, the vast majority of participating restaurants are meeting all program
standards. Participating restaurants have been supported through the implementation process, and plan to both
continue to participate and to inform other restaurateurs about the program. The recent commitment by 22
national chains in April 2013 indicates that interest and participation in the program is growing, and this alone is
expected to increase program awareness amongst the public.
Nutrition information in restaurants is strongly supported by British Columbians and is predicted to be a useful
tool in helping them to make informed food choices when dining out, especially with respect to sodium and
calorie content in meals. Among a sample of consumers in Informed Dining restaurants, however, few reported
asking for the available nutrition information before making their food choices that day. Many surveyed were
also not aware of the program, the calorie and sodium content of their meals, nor of their respective daily
requirements. While findings suggest the current program design of providing full nutrition information meets
the needs of consumers, program modifications are needed to considerably increase the visibility and access of
nutrition information in restaurants so that consumers know nutrition information is available and they use it.
Overall, further and more comprehensive program evaluation is needed to understand how well Informed
Dining is meeting program goals and objectives, in particular its impact on population health in BC.
Based on these findings, the following recommendations are made:
1. Increase visibility, prominence and access to nutrition information in restaurants by implementing
program modifications to remove “upon request” and increase store-level signage. Explore new tools
such as mobile apps to increase access to nutrition information.
2. Increase public awareness of the Informed Dining program and participating restaurants through
activities such as campaigns, events, presentations.
3. Continue to educate the public and raise awareness around healthy eating in restaurants, with a focus
on calories and sodium. This could be done through campaigns and public information resources.
4. Increase restaurant participation in the program by continuing to offer restaurant implementation
supports and addressing barriers such as resource needs for small business operators.
5. Continue to evaluate the program, contribute to the evidence, and assess/monitor emerging research
on an ongoing basis.
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Appendix A: Program Milestones
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Appendix B
Informed Dining Program Implementation Supports
Resources
Description
Informed Dining Website (www.informeddining.ca)
The Informed Dining website provides
information for restaurants, consumers,
small businesses and health care facilities.
The Restaurant Participation Guide outlines
all the program standards and steps to
participate in the program. Available in
hard copy print or pdf download from
www.informeddining.ca
Restaurant Participation Guide
Guide to Nutrient Analysis
The Guide to Nutrient Analysis is a “how to”
document on standardizing recipes and
conducting a nutrient analysis. Included in
the guide is a list of labs, consultants and
software options. Available in hard copy
print or pdf download from
www.informeddining.ca
Rack Card
The Rack Card is a restaurant recruitment
tool for conferences and tradeshows. The
rack card is predominantly distributed by
Environmental Health Officers during
routine food safety inspections. The rack
card is available in hard copy in 6 languages
(English, Farsi, Korean, Traditional Chinese
and Punjabi) from program staff.
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Staff Training Poster & Guide
The staff training poster and guide are
available to restaurant operators to help
train their food service staff to understand
the program in order to assist customers
and answer basic questions. Available in
hard copy print or pdf download from
www.informeddining.ca
Dietitian Services at HealthLink BC
Registered Dietitians available at HealthLink
BC assist with nutrient analysis, recipe
reformulation and answer program
questions from the public and restaurants.
Graphic Design Templates
InDesign graphic templates available in
menu, brochure or poster style that
incorporate program standards for
nutrition information. Available from
program staff.
Danglers
Informed Dining logo and directional
statement danglers that can be affixed to
menu boards. Available from program staff.
Window Decals
Informed Dining window decals that
identify designated restaurants. Available
from program staff.
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Appendix C
Evaluation Data from the Heart of Stroke Foundation of Canada (BC & Yukon) and the Ministry of
Health
The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada (BC & Yukon) Evaluation Data
Data source
Time
Sampling
Point of Purchase survey (POP)
November &
December 2012
531 consumers (ages 19-64 yrs)
interviewed in 4 different restaurants
actively participating in the Informed
Dining program
Restaurant Response survey (RRS)
January 2013
7 restaurants actively participating in
the Informed Dining program
completed a web-based survey
We Want It campaign web analytics
January-April,
2013
Unknown
The Ministry of Health Evaluation Data
Data source
Time
Sampling
Public Opinion Research (POR)
January 2012
803 randomly selected British
Columbians – web-based survey
February 2013
810 randomly selected British
Columbians – web-based survey
Promotional Campaign online survey
conducted by Ipsos Reid
May- June 2012
400 British Columbians
(between ages 18-70)
Restaurant verification reports by
Environmental Health Officers (EHO’s)
December 2012 –
June 2013
62 reports by EHOs
Program Restaurant Tracker
2011 – June 2013
N/A
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