Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 12, 2026
06:54
Methods for Presenting Real-world Objects Under Controlled Laboratory Conditions
Published on: June 21, 2019
Eco-Focused Menu Labels on Full Meal Orders From Fast-Food Restaurants: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
Julia A Wolfson1,2, Anna Claire Tucker1, Alexandria E Reimold3
1Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
JAMA Health Forum
|July 10, 2026
Summary
Traffic-light labels (TLLs) on fast-food menus promoted healthier choices and reduced environmental impact, especially in burger restaurants. These ecolabels may encourage sustainable eating without increasing costs.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Nutritional Science
- Behavioral Economics
Background:
- Environmentally sustainable dietary patterns are crucial for population and planetary health.
- Ecolabels on restaurant menus offer a potential strategy to guide consumers toward healthier and more sustainable food choices.
- Evidence is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of different ecolabel designs across various restaurant types.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of different ecolabel designs on the healthfulness of meals ordered from fast-food restaurants.
- To compare the effectiveness of various ecolabels, including traffic-light labels (TLLs), against a control label.
Main Methods:
- A randomized clinical trial was conducted online with a nationally representative sample of US adults.
- Participants were randomized to one of five conditions: control (QR code), low-climate-impact labels, TLLs, high-climate-impact labels, or grade-scale labels.
- Participants ordered meals from simulated burger and sandwich fast-food menus.
Main Results:
- Traffic-light labels (TLLs) significantly improved the healthfulness of meal choices in the burger restaurant compared to the control.
- TLLs led to a reduction in estimated greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) for meals in both burger (15.2%) and sandwich (29.8%) restaurants.
- TLLs were perceived as the most noticeable and understandable ecolabel, without affecting meal costs.
Conclusions:
- Traffic-light label (TLL) ecolabels show promise as an effective tool for promoting healthier and more sustainable food choices in fast-food settings.
- The findings suggest that ecolabels can influence consumer behavior towards more environmentally friendly options without a significant cost increase.
- Further research may explore the broader implementation and long-term effects of TLLs in diverse food service environments.
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