Informed Dining: rolling out a B.C. success story for restaurant customers

TORONTO, April 3, 2013 /CNW/ - Canadians will soon have access to comprehensive nutrition information they have been saying they want and need, before ordering a meal or snack at their favourite chain restaurant.

The Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA) and several provincial and territorial governments are working together to make the Informed Dining program, which was launched by the British Columbia government, the national standard for providing restaurant-goers with nutrition information.

Informed Dining will make it easy for customers to see nutritional values like caloric and sodium content, in their standard menu choices, and in the context of their daily requirements.

"CRFA is proud to have partnered with the government of British Columbia and other stakeholder groups to develop the Informed Dining program," said Mark von Schellwitz, CRFA's Vice President, Western Canada. "Minister Margaret MacDiarmid and her government are to be congratulated for their leadership role in mounting this program."

"We're very pleased that Informed Dining is gaining momentum with governments and restaurants across the country," said CRFA President and CEO Garth Whyte.  "So far, 25 leading restaurant chains have implemented or are working to implement Informed Dining in B.C., and restaurant-goers will become very familiar with the program logo by the end of this year."

Several provinces and territories have expressed interest in leveraging BC's investments in the Informed Dining program.  CRFA commends the Minister of Healthy Living for Manitoba, Jim Rondeau, and the Minister of Healthy and Inclusive Communities for New Brunswick, Dorothy Shephard for championing the initiative with their counterparts across the country.

CRFA is one of Canada's largest business associations with 30,000 members representing restaurants, bars, caterers and other foodservice providers.  Canada's restaurant industry generates $65 billion annually in economic activity and employs more than one million people in communities across the country.

SOURCE: Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association

Prasanthi Vasanthakumar, Communications Specialist, 1-800-387-5649, ext. 4254 or [email protected]