MenuStat site debuts fourth year of nutritional data

The Health Department on Thursday, March 31 unveiled the most updated version of MenuStat.org, the only website in the country that compiles nutritional information from over 150 top national restaurants.

The site – built by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, with funding in part from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – now includes a fourth year of data, and spans from 2012 through 2015.

“Americans’ consumption of food prepared away from home has nearly doubled over the last 30 years and now accounts for almost one-third of Americans’ total calorie intake,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Mary  Bassett. “MenuStat’s health information for restaurant menu items facilitates education and research, and is another source of information New Yorkers can use to learn more about what’s in the food they’re consuming.”

The website – which includes over 150,000 menu items from the nation’s top chains – also allows users to search the site to compare the nutrition of menu items, food categories and restaurants in either a single year or across years.