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Calorie labeling, fast food purchasing and restaurant visits
Brian Elbel1, Tod Mijanovich, L Beth Dixon
1Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York; Wagner School of Public Service, New York University, New York, New York.
Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.)
|October 19, 2013
Summary
Calorie labeling at fast food restaurants increased consumer awareness but did not change overall calories purchased or restaurant visits. Further research is needed to understand the long-term impact of this public health policy.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Health Policy
- Consumer Behavior
Background:
- Obesity is a significant public health challenge.
- Effective population-wide solutions for obesity are lacking.
- Fast food consumption is a major contributor to caloric intake.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of a mandatory calorie labeling policy in fast food restaurants.
- To assess consumer awareness of calorie information.
- To determine changes in calories purchased and fast food visit frequency.
Main Methods:
- A difference-in-differences study design was employed.
- Data collected via consumer intercept surveys and telephone surveys.
- Compared Philadelphia (policy implementation) with Baltimore (control city) before and after labeling.
Main Results:
- 38% of consumers noticed calorie labels post-implementation, a significant increase.
- No significant changes were observed in calories purchased per person.
- No significant changes were observed in the number of weekly fast food visits.
Conclusions:
- Calorie labeling increased consumer awareness of nutritional information.
- The policy did not lead to population-level reductions in calories consumed or fast food visits.
- Further studies are necessary to ascertain the long-term effects of calorie labeling policies.
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