CONSUMER BRIEFING / RESTAURANTS

When dining out, 65% of Americans say they prefer to see nutritional information on a restaurant menu rather than calories alone, according to a recent survey.

Nearly 40% said they’d like to see a Nutrition Facts panel, while 27% preferred an at-a-glance program with credits or a ratings system, according to the random telephone survey conducted by Kelton Research.

“Our research shows that Americans are looking for more than just calorie counts,” said John Eldredge, director of brand and business development at Guiding Stars Licensing Co., which makes nutrition navigation systems and commissioned the poll.

In California, restaurants must begin posting calorie counts and other nutritional information on menus and menu boards by Jan. 1, 2011.

The survey of 1,000 adults using random digital dialing was conducted from June 23 to June 30. The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.