Researchers Say Calorie Labels on Restaurant Menus Affect Food Choices

Yale University researchers, including Kelly Brownell, have published a study that concludes “Calorie labels on restaurant menus impacted food choices and intake; adding a recommended daily caloric requirement label increased this effect, suggesting menu label legislation should require such a label.” Christina Roberto, et al., “Evaluating the Impact of Menu Labeling on Food Choices and Intake,” American
Journal of Public Health, December 17, 2009. The study evaluated the dinner selections made by some 300 participants randomly assigned to a menu (i) without calorie labels, (ii) with calorie labels, or (iii) with calorie labels and a label including the recommended daily caloric intake for an average adult.

According to the researchers, those participants in the latter two categories “ordered fewer calories than those in the no calorie labels condition.” The participants in the second group did, however, consume more calories after the study dinner than either of the other groups. Combining calories consumed during and after the study dinner, the researchers found that participants in the third group, given the most
information, “consumed an average of 250 fewer calories than those in the other groups.”