The time spent poring over a restaurant menu could get longer, but with healthy benefits, if local eateries sign on to a new provincial program.
Last week, the Ministry of Health announced a $1.9 million investment in the new Informed Dining program, where the nutritional information commonly found on food packaging in the store could soon be coming to a restaurant menu near you.
Across the province, participating restaurants will add the Informed Dining program logo and a statement on their menu or ordering board to let customers know nutritional information -- highlighting calorie and sodium content -- is available upon request.
But while voluntary for independent eateries, the program is mandatory for health care facilities.
"Retail food service establishments in health care facilities serve vulnerable populations, including patients and families/friends with chronic disease," said ministry spokesperson Laura Neufeld. "In addition, as a province, we want to role model best practices in provincially funded facilities to set the example and hopefully motivate others to follow suit."
Due to the process that has to be followed when dealing with existing contracts, there won't be much changed locally with patient food services until at least next 2012 or 2013, explained Steve Raper, Northern Health director of communications.
"We'll be working towards implementing the entire program," Raper said. "Consultation with our food service people and contract providers have to take place."
Food service is something health care professionals are interested in, though it can be a challenge.
"We have to provide for a number of people and healthy food and tastes don't always collide," Raper said.
Finding those areas where a healthy diet and a satisfied palette mesh is part of the impetus behind the province's program, which aims to provide people with informed options.
"Cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer are estimated to cost our system between $730 million and $830 million per year - obesity and high blood pressure are major factors in these diseases. By providing nutrition information in restaurants, we hope to help British Columbians make the healthy choice the easy choice," said Neufeld.
But while providing the necessary information is important, ultimately making the decision to eat healthier is up to the consumer, said Julie Lau. Lau is a registered dietitian and the program manager for the Health Check B.C. Dining Progam which is responsible for the little green logos sometimes found in grocery stores and on restaurant menus.
"I think consumers want that information. Then they can say 'I do care about it today' or 'I don't care about it today,'" Lau said. "By providing the information, you're putting power in their hands."
Also a voluntary program offered through the Heart and Stroke Foundation of B.C. and Yukon, Health Check requires participating restaurants to submit recipes for evaluation which are sent to labs to test for the nutrients.
Local restauranteurs said they are intrigued, but that the details were still too fuzzy.
"We have fresh food here," said Nelia Fraser, co-owner of Cariboo Restaurant. "Like, if it's a baked potato, I don't know what [the nutritional information] is. Unless it's frozen, like fast food, how do we know?"
That sentiment was echoed by Matt Maritsas at Mr. Jake's Steakhouse.
"How would I figure it out?" Maritsas asked. "Major corporations have their stats, but how do we determine my stats?"
But even though he said customers have never openly questioned the nutritional content of their menu, Martisas said he would participate in the program, as would Fraser.
"I like it," Fraser said. "Then we would know too."
