Do calorie numbers on menus change what people eat ?
Food from restaurants and ‘take-aways’ accounts for an increasing amount of what we eat. A number of jurisdictions now require menus at larger restaurant chains to display nutrition information on menus, such as calorie amounts for different food options. We have conducted studies to examine whether calorie labels on menus affect consumer awareness, use and support, including in several countries that have implemented national menu labelling policies.
Recent papers on menu labels
Assessing the impact of a mandatory calorie labelling policy in out-of-home food outlets in England on consumer behaviour: A Natural Experimental Study.
Essman M, Burgoine T, Jones A, Polden M, Robinson E, Sacks G, Sharp SJ, Smith R, Vanderlee, White CM, White M, Hammond D, Adams J.
“Maybe a little bit of guilt isn’t so bad for the overall health of an individual”: A mixed-methods exploration of young adults’ experiences with calorie labelling”.
Raffoul A, Gibbons B, Boluk K, Neiterman E, Hammond D, Kirkpatrick SI. BMC Public Health 2022; 22(1):938.
Efficacy of calorie labelling for alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages on restaurant menus on noticing information, calorie knowledge, and perceived and actual influence on hypothetical beverage orders: a randomized trial.
Hobin E, Weerasignhe A, Schoer N, Vanderlee L, Shokar S, Orr S, Poon T, Hammond D. Canadian Journal of Public Health 2022; 113(3):363-373.
Evaluation of a voluntary nutritional information program versus calorie labelling on menus in Canadian restaurants: a quasi-experimental study design.
Vanderlee L, White CM, Hammond D. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 2019; 16:92.
A quasi-experimental study of a mandatory calorie-labelling policy in restaurants: Impact on use of nutrition information among youth and young adults in Canada.
Goodman SE, Vanderlee L, White CM, Hammond D. Preventive Medicine 2018; 116:166-172.
Estimating the impact of various menu labeling formats on parents’ demand for fast-food kids’ meals for their children: an experimental auction.
Hobin E, Zuo F, Sacco J, Rosella L, Hammond D. Appetite 2016; 105: 582-90.
A voluntary nutrition labeling program in restaurants: consumer awareness, use of nutrition information, and food selection.
White CM, Lillico HG, Vanderlee L, Hammond D. Preventive Medicine Reports 2016; 4: 474-80.
Stakeholder perspectives on developing and implementing a menu labeling program in a cafeteria setting.
Vanderlee L, Vine MM, Fenton NE, Hammond D. American Journal of Health Behavior 2016; 40(3):371-80.
Availability, type, and format of nutrition information in fast-food restaurants in Canada.
Hobin E, Lebenbaum M, Rosella L, Hammond D. Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research 2015; 76(1):44-48.
The effects of calorie labels on those at high-risk of eating pathologies: a pre-post intervention study in a University cafeteria
Lillico H, Hanning R, Findlay S, Hammond D. Public Health Nutrition 2015; 129(6): 732-739.
