More than 700 restaurants across Los Angeles County have pledged to curb adult and childhood obesity by offering smaller portion sizes and healthier meals on their menus as part of a public health campaign, officials announced Thursday.
The “Health Eating Out” campaign launched at L.A. Kitchen, a start-up in Lincoln Heights that trains chefs on how to prepare healthy meals. That’s where public health officials unveiled advertising that features tips on how to order in restaurants, including choosing fruits or vegetables instead of french fries, and asking for water or low-fat milk instead of soda or juice drinks. Those ads will be on billboards, bus shelters throughout the county and online through March.
Public health officials say their grand goal is to encourage the more than 30,000 restaurants across Los Angeles County to remove or limit fried foods and sugary drinks from children’s menus and offer smaller portion options. But asking smaller restaurants to change their menus is challenging, said Dr. Paul Simon, director for the division of chronic disease and injury prevention for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Of the 700 restaurants that support the campaign, most are Subway restaurants, he said.
Posting calories on menus appears to be working a little bit, Simon said, but it’s not a national effort yet.
“A meal away from home can be viewed as a special occasion, but it gets tricky if you are eating out three or four times a week,” Simon said. “Studies indicate that families on average consume far more calories than they should when eating out at restaurants, and it’s not just fast food but also sit-down restaurants where calories are over-consumed.”
The California Restaurant Association did not say if it support the effort, but Jot Condie, President and CEO of the California Restaurant Association said eating establishments in the Golden State already lead the nation by offering calorie labeling and portion size options.
“More information ensures that people have the ability to choose what they want based on what is most important to them,” Condie said in a written response. “And restaurants are more responsive than ever to their customers’ needs.”
Restaurant owner Olga Cordon Ponce, who has run Bibi’s Cafe in the Westlake neighborhood for 19 years, said she loves the idea. During the campaign, she displayed smaller versions of popular Honduran specialties on her menu, including rice, chicken, and salad, instead of beans.
“For me it’s a great opportunity because it also means people are taking (their health) seriously,” she said. “We’re happy with the idea.”
Public health officials said the campaign comes just as data last April showed more families are eating out. Another national report released in September found the Golden State had the fifth lowest obesity rate in the nation among adults. But children, especially toddlers, were more likely to be obese in California than any other state, researchers with the nonprofit group Trust for America’s Health found.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis said she was glad to see the campaign targeted all kinds of restaurants. Latino communities, for example, are yearning for more healthy choices, she said.
“Today, we are empowering parents with easy tips to make better choices for their kids and encouraging restaurants to provide healthier options,” Solis said. “Healthy options should be available no matter where we eat.”
The campaign is part of public health’s Choose Health LA initiative and follows another effort launched last year called “Water: The Healthiest Choice”, which encourage parents to give their children more water and less soda and other sugary drinks.
Teresa Nuno, chief of programs and planning for First 5 LA, which is providing the grant for the Healthy Eating Out campaign, said the campaign will help parents teach children healthy eating habits.
“Parents are hungry for healthier meal options that are accessible, affordable and convenient,” she said.
