A new study has found that consumers ordered less calories when dining at restaurants with nutrition labeling on the menus.
In the study, authors examined caloric intake of consumers at restaurants that had nutrition labeling, as well as restaurants that lacked labeling. 80 percent of customers reported noticing the labels, and 25% of them reported that the labels influenced their food choice.
The customers who claimed that they used the labels ended up consuming 400 calories less than the average customer. On the whole, customers who patronized restaurants with labeled menus ate 150 calories less.
Conclusion
Interestingly, most studies that I have read on this topic have actually come to the opposite conclusion: that labeling menus does not have any positive effect on dietary habits.
The most likely explanation for the unique findings of this study is due to the fact that it was epidemiological in nature and can’t prove cause-and-effect. Chances are, the types of restaurants that provide nutrition labeling are more likely to offer lower calorie meals, and the labeling itself did not have any effect on customers.
Another possibility is that the types of restaurants used in this study were considered “full-service”, whereas other studies have been done on more “fast-food” type restaurants. It’s possible that nutrition labeling at full-service restaurants may have more of an effect than nutrition labeling at fast food restaurants were customers are more likely to be in a hurry.
Due to the limitations of this study, I am not convinced that labeling nutrition menus will actually have any positive impact in the real world.
References
1 Auchincloss AH, et al. Customer responses to mandatory menu labeling at full-service restaurants. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2013; 45(6): 710.