This document describes an application that aims to facilitate access to restaurant nutrition and inspection information in order to help curb obesity and prevent diabetes. The application would provide one place to access nutritional information from restaurants, tips for diabetes prevention, and lists of restaurants cited for food safety violations. It utilizes several New York state and other public APIs and datasets. Future implementations discussed include adding more restaurants, meal planning features, and nutritional comparisons. The goal is to make healthful options easier to identify and select.

1. An Application That Facilitates
Access To Restaurant Nutrition And
Inspection Information
John M. Lien
Masters Candidate, SUNY Albany
Andrew R. Nasman
Masters Candidate, SUNY Albany
Taryn M. Phippen
PhD, University of Washington, Seattle/Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

2. Curtail Obesity and Prevent the Onset of
Type II Diabetes in Restaurant Diners
•
Increase ease of access to restaurant nutritional information
by putting data all in one place
Assist in advance meal planning
Assist in identification of healthful options
•
Provide Users with Diabetes Prevention Tips
•
Provide users with a list of restaurants that have been cited
for food safety violations

3. Health Data NY APIs Used
Diabetes Type 2 Prevention Tips
Food Service Establishment Inspections: Beginning 2005 (ACTIVE) >>
Other APIs and Datasets Used
New York SBDC Research Network: New York State County Zip Codes
FDA U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Guidance for Industry: A
Food Labeling Guide (14. Appendix F: Calculate the Percent Daily
Value for the Appropriate Nutrients)
Online Menu Resources For Burger King, Subway, and McDonald’s

4. Future Implementations
•
Add more restaurants!
•
Meal Planner – calculate nutritional information for
entire meal
•
Healthful food option recommendations
•
Nutritional information comparisons among similar
food items
•
Google API Integration for restaurant map locations

5. Thanks!
• Health Research Incorporated
• NYS Health Foundation
• Socrata
• And Our Host: RPI EMPAC
Reference:
Bennet GG, et al. (2013) Availability of and Ease of Access to Calorie on Restaurant Websites.
PLOS One. Aug 20;8(8):e72009.