Search

Since May 2018, federal restaurant menu labeling regulations have required large U.S. chain restaurants to disclose calorie counts on menus. This study estimates the share of U.S. adults who notice calorie information on fast-food and sit-down restaurant menus and identifies the consumer characteristics that predict noticing calorie labels. Using a nationally representative sample of 5,185 U.S. adults aged 18 and older from the 2022 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS), linear regression models were estimated to predict the likelihood of noticing calorie labels the last time adults ordered food in a fast-food or sit-down restaurant. The 2022 HINTS data were publicly released in April 2023 and these public-use and de-identified data were analyzed in October 2023. In 2022, about 1 in 2 U.S. adults (49.7%, 95% CI=47.6%, 51.8%) reported noticing calorie labels during their last restaurant visit. The likelihood of noticing calorie information was significantly lower among men, lower income households, unpartnered adults, residents of the Northeast Census Region, and residents of rural areas. Approximately half of U.S. adults reported seeing calorie labels when they last ordered food in a fast-food or sit-down restaurant in 2022. Sex, income, marital status, and residential location influenced the likelihood of noticing calorie counts posted on restaurant menus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2018, the United States implemented a nationwide law requiring chain restaurants with more than 20 units to post calorie counts next to each of their menu items. Previously, individual cities, counties, and states had passed such laws, and certain chains had voluntarily posted calorie counts. Despite the widespread nature of this practice, the effect of calorie counts on restaurant outcomes is still not well understood. This paper estimates the impact of restaurant menu calorie labels on four important outcomes: 1) restaurant revenue; 2) restaurant profit; 3) the labor time of kitchen staff; and 4) patrons' support for calorie labels. We estimate these impacts by conducting a randomized controlled experiment in two full-service restaurants. The results indicate that posting calorie counts on menus has no detectable negative impact on restaurants – the impacts on revenue, profit, and labor time are indistinguishable from zero. Moreover, exposure to the labels increases patrons' support of restaurant menu calorie labels by 14.3% and reduces their opposition to them by 27.1%. Altogether, these results suggest that posting calorie counts does not harm restaurants, and are appealing to consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Federal law requires calorie information on chain restaurant menus. We sought to assess the prevalence of calorie disclosures on online menus and determine if the menus are controlled by restaurants subject to US labelling requirements. Design: Cross-sectional Setting: Restaurant websites and mobile apps for restaurant located in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Houston Participants: US chain restaurants (top seventy-five by number of outlets) and third-party platforms (TPP): Grubhub, Uber Eats, DoorDash Results: There was at least one calorie disclosure (for at least one food or beverage, in at least one location) on sixty-eight of seventy-two (94 %) menus on restaurant websites or apps, thirty-two of fifty-five (58 %) menus on DoorDash, six of forty-nine (12 %) menus on Grubhub and thirty of fifty-nine (51 %) menus on Uber Eats. There was consistent calorie labelling (all foods and beverages, all locations) on forty-three of seventy-two (60 %) menus on restaurant websites or apps, fifteen of fifty-five (27 %) menus on DoorDash, three of forty-nine (6 %) menus on Grubhub and eleven of fifty-nine (19 %) menus on Uber Eats. Only four restaurant chains consistently labelled calories for all items, in all locations, on all platforms where their menus were found. All three TPP provided restaurants the ability to enter and modify menu items, making the menus subject to US labelling requirements. Only Uber Eats provided guidance to restaurants on entering calorie information. Conclusions: As consumers increasingly rely on TPP for restaurant ordering, menus on these platforms should include calories in order to promote transparency and nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Restaurant menu calorie labeling is regarded as a promising, cost-effective, and innovative method that will have an impact on the food environment, raise awareness among consumers, and aid in global efforts to prevent obesity. This study aimed to assess the public's calorie literacy, dining practices, and perceived effectiveness of restaurant menu labeling implementation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A descriptive, web-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 1279 adults in the UAE. Socio-demographic characteristics, calorie literacy, and perceived effectiveness of restaurant menu labeling among participants were investigated. Chi-square analysis was used to compare indicators across demographic characteristics. More females than males completed the online survey, (56.1% and 43.9%). Most of the participants aged < 30 years old (54.8%), The majority of participants reported eating away from home at least once per week (89.6%). 66.0% of participants were knowledgeable about calorie definition, but only 37.1% knew about average daily energy requirements. Younger participants, with a normal BMI, and higher education levels reported a significantly higher likelihood of eating at a chain restaurant with caloric information on the menu (p <0.05). The majority of participants (76.0%) preferred to see calorie information and other nutrition information on menus. To conclude, menu labeling is a welcomed policy to be implemented in food outlets. Further investigation is necessary to ascertain the most efficacious method of presenting nutrition information to consumers to facilitate informed purchasing decisions considering the potential benefits of mandating calorie declaration in obesity prevention efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To quantify the sector-wide energy and nutritional differences of both adult and children's restaurant menu items in the UK and the USA in 2018. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Energy and nutritional information provided on restaurant websites. Participants: Menu items (n 40 902) served by forty-two large UK chains and ninety-six large USA chains. Results: Mean absolute energy, fat and saturated fat values were higher in USA menu items. For example, the mean adjusted per-item differences of adult menu items between the USA and the UK were 45·6 kcal for energy and 3·2 g for fat. Comparable figures for children's menu items were 43·7 kcal and 4 g. Compared with UK menu items, USA adult menu items also had higher sugar content (3·2 g, 95 % CI (0·5, 6)), and children's menu items had higher Na content (181·1 mg, 95 % CI (108·4, 253·7)). Overall, 96·8 % of UK and 95·8 % of USA menu items exceeded recommended levels for at least one of Na, fat, saturated fat or sugars. Conclusions: Menu items served by large chain restaurants had higher mean absolute levels of energy, fat and saturated fat in the USA compared with the UK. UK adult menu items were also lower in sugars compared with the USA ones and children's items lower in Na. As more than 95 % of all items were considered to have high levels of at least one nutrient of public health concern in the USA and the UK, improvements in restaurant menu items are needed in both countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the number of studies in tourism using the eye tracking technique has increased and started generating valuable information for both academics and the industry. However, there is a gap in the literature concerning systematic reviews focused on recent articles and their findings. Thus, the aim of this study is to close this gap by systematically analysing 70 research papers tackling the subject of eye tracking in tourism and published in highly ranked tourism journals. The study identifies the most popular topics and trends for eye tracking research, as well as the most used types of visual stimuli, such as exhibitions, restaurant menus, promotional pictures or websites. The study also details on measurements specific for the analysis of eye tracking data, including fixations, saccades and heat maps. Results are emphasized along with their theoretical and practical implications. In addition, we highlight the lack of the use of dynamic stimuli in the existing literature and suggest further research directions using the eye tracking technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the quality of children's menus in restaurants located in shopping malls. Methods: To select the sample, restaurants from 30% of shopping malls in each region of the city of São Paulo were included and, after considering only one restaurant per chain, the total was limited to 151 restaurants, 30.2% of which (n=35) presented a children's menu. Data were collected through a form on Google Forms. Results: Of the restaurants with children's menu, 60% (n=21) were conventional restaurants and 40% (n=14) takeaway/fastfood. The large number of chains present in most visited malls showed a democratization of the way of eating, with popular and accessible menus, regardless of social status. Most of the analyzed foods were cooked (41.5%). Most preparations did not use grease in their preparation and there was a notable lack of fruit and vegetables (FV) (4%). Sweet desserts were offered in 11.4% of the places and 20% included gifts with meals. Conclusions: The scarce offer of children's menus, few options and low FV offer indicate the need for a new look at the development of children's menus and a greater integration between the possibilities of restaurants and the expectations of parents and children, in the challenge of integrating the relationship between the supply of new foods that promote healthier habits and their consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The nutritional quality of restaurant foods in Canada is not monitored by government and limited research has evaluated the nutrient content of these foods. Given the increasing proportion of foods consumed outside the home, this study aims to assess levels of nutrients of public health concern in Canadian fast-food and sit-down restaurant menu items.Methods: Levels of calories, saturated fat, sodium, and sugar of 10,285 menu items from 90 national chain restaurants in Canada were assessed. Data were collected in 2016, extracted and analyzed between 2018 and 2020, and presented overall and by category. Levels in fast-food and sit-down restaurant establishments were compared.Results: Overall mean levels of saturated fat, sodium, and sugar were high. Entrées contained on average 52% of the total daily value for sodium (1,256 mg/serving) and 45% of the daily value for saturated fat (8.9 g/serving). Beverages and desserts had high levels of total sugar (mean=44 g and 32 g/serving, respectively) but tended to be low in sodium. Sit-down restaurant items had significantly (p≤0.0001) higher levels of calories, saturated fat, and sodium overall, although fast-food restaurant items had higher average sugar levels because of the higher number of beverage and dessert items.Conclusions: Levels of nutrients of concern in Canadian menu items are excessive among most food categories. As the frequency of eating out in restaurants rises, government policies to promote reformulation and increase transparency of the nutritional content of these items are required to reduce their negative impact on public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2018, the U.S. adopted a nationwide law requiring that chain restaurants post calorie counts on their menus and menu boards. This has led to considerable interest in the extent to which providing calorie information leads consumers to choose healthier diets. To estimate the impact of calorie labeling, we conducted a randomized controlled field experiment in two full‐service restaurants, in which the control group received menus without calorie counts and the treatment group received the same menus but with calorie counts. We estimate that the calorie labels resulted in a 3.0 percent reduction in calories ordered, with the reduction occurring in appetizers and entrées but not drinks or desserts. Exposure to the information also increased consumers' support for requiring calorie labels by 9.6 percent. These results are informative about the impact of the new nationwide menu label requirement, and more generally contribute to the literature on the impact of information disclosure on consumer behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare the nutritional quality of children's combination meals offered at large US chain restaurants characterised by three versions - default (advertised), minimum (lower-energy) and maximum (higher-energy).Design: We identified default children's meals (n 92) from online restaurant menus, then constructed minimum and maximum versions using realistic additions, substitutions and/or portion size changes for existing menu items. Nutrition data were obtained from the MenuStat database. Bootstrapped linear models assessed nutrition differences between meal versions and the extent to which meal components (main dish, side dish, beverage) drove differences across versions. For each version, we examined the proportion of meals meeting the Guidelines for Responsible Food Marketing to Children.Setting: Twenty-six fast-food and fast-casual restaurants, in 2017.Participants: None.Results: Nutrient values differed significantly across meal versions for energy content (default 2443 kJ (584 kcal), minimum 1674 kJ (400 kcal), maximum 3314 kJ (792 kcal)), total fat (23, 17, 33 g), saturated fat (8, 6, 11 g), Na (1046, 915, 1287 mg) and sugar (35, 14, 51 g). The substitution of lower-energy beverages resulted in the greatest reduction in energy content (default to minimum, -418 kJ (-100 kcal)) and sugar (-20 g); choosing lower-energy side dishes resulted in the greatest reduction in total fat (default to minimum, -4 g), saturated fat (-1·1 g) and Na (-69 mg). Only 3 % of meals met guidelines for all nutrients.Conclusions: Realistic modifications to children's combination meals using existing menu options can significantly alter a meal's nutrient composition. Promoting lower-energy items as the default option, especially for beverages and side dishes, has a potential to reduce fat, saturated fat and/or sugar in children's meals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Fast food restaurants, including top burger chains, have reduced calorie content of some menu items in recent years. However, the extent to which the nutrition profile of restaurant menus is changing over time is unknown.Methods: Data from 2,472 food items on the menus of 14 top-earning burger fast food chain restaurants in the U.S., available from 2012 to 2016, were obtained from the MenuStat project and analyzed in 2019. Nutrition Profile Index scores were estimated and used to categorize foods as healthy (≥64 of 100). Generalized linear models examined mean scores and the proportion of healthy menu items among items offered in all years (2012-2016) and items offered in 2012 only compared with items newly introduced in subsequent years.Results: Overall, <20% of menu items were classified as healthy with no change from 2012 to 2016 (p=0.91). Mean Nutrition Profile Index score was relatively constant across the study period among all food items (≈50 points, p=0.58) and children's menu items (≈56 points, p=0.73). The only notable change in Nutrition Profile Index score or in proportion of healthy items was in the direction of menu items becoming less healthy.Conclusions: At large chain burger restaurants, most items were unhealthy, and the overall nutrition profile of menus remained unchanged from 2012 to 2016. Future research should examine the nutrition profile of restaurant menus in a larger, more diverse sample of restaurants over a longer timeframe and examine whether results are robust when other measures of nutritional quality are used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poor diet is a leading driver of obesity and morbidity. One possible contributor is increased consumption of foods from out of home establishments, which tend to be high in energy density and portion size. A number of out of home establishments voluntarily provide consumers with nutritional information through menu labelling. The aim of this study was to determine whether there are differences in the energy and nutritional content of menu items served by popular UK restaurants with versus without voluntary menu labelling. We identified the 100 most popular UK restaurant chains by sales and searched their websites for energy and nutritional information on items served in March-April 2018. We established whether or not restaurants provided voluntary menu labelling by telephoning head offices, visiting outlets and sourcing up-to-date copies of menus. We used linear regression to compare the energy content of menu items served by restaurants with versus without menu labelling, adjusting for clustering at the restaurant level. Of 100 restaurants, 42 provided some form of energy and nutritional information online. Of these, 13 (31%) voluntarily provided menu labelling. A total of 10,782 menu items were identified, of which total energy and nutritional information was available for 9605 (89%). Items from restaurants with menu labelling had 45% less fat (beta coefficient 0.55; 95% CI 0.32 to 0.96) and 60% less salt (beta coefficient 0.40; 95% CI 0.18 to 0.92). The data were cross-sectional, so the direction of causation could not be determined. Menu labelling is associated with serving items with less fat and salt in popular UK chain restaurants. Mandatory menu labelling may encourage reformulation of items served by restaurants. This could lead to public health benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Menu calorie labeling is now required nationwide for chain restaurants in the United States; however, a number of studies have found that calorie labeling does not reduce average calories ordered. This research examines how different food value orientations are associated with divergent consumer responses to restaurants providing calorie information on menus and menu boards. Results from two pilot studies and two experiments, including a restaurant field experiment, indicate that calorie labeling is effective in decreasing the number of calories ordered by health value–oriented consumers. However, for quantity value and taste value–oriented consumers, menu calorie labeling may result in an increase in calories ordered. These influences counterbalance one another, leading to an overall nonsignificant effect of calorie labeling on calories ordered in restaurant settings. These findings offer a compelling explanation for the many studies showing nonsignificant effects of menu calorie labeling and inform ongoing policy debates regarding chain restaurants nationally implementing menu calorie labeling. The conceptual contributions and implications of these findings for public policy and consumer well-being are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Allergens in restaurant food cause many allergic reactions and deaths. Yet no federal, state, or local law adequately protects people from these harms. Although federal law requires the labeling of "major food allergens" in packaged food, there are no allergen labeling requirements for restaurant-type food. In addition, existing food safety requirements for restaurants are inadequate to prevent allergen cross contact. The existing legal scholarship on food allergens in restaurants is limited. Much of the legal scholarship on labeling in restaurants focuses on menu labeling--the provision of calorie and other nutrition information to combat obesity. The requirements of Section 4205 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act exemplify this type of labeling. Although the literature describes the problem of food allergens in restaurants, it has not fully explored potential regulatory solutions. This Article explores how, as a first step, menu labeling regulation can inform the development of food allergen regulation to reduce the risks that allergens pose in restaurants and similar retail establishments. It also discusses how menu labeling can help anticipate and respond to potential opposition and challenges to allergen requirements. Using menu labeling as a guide, this Article argues that certain chain restaurants and similar retail establishments should be required to furnish "major food allergen" labeling upon consumer request in order to advance public health. Labeling changes alone, however, are insufficient to protect people with food allergies. Restaurants should also be required to employ science-based practices to prevent allergen cross contact and ensure their workers are trained on food allergen management. Although state and local governments may play an important role addressing food allergen management in restaurants and advancing public health, ultimately federal action is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the empirical results of a recently concluded research study about managing menu innovation in a consumer market that has reached to its saturation level. Such market condition resulting in increased competition and, therefore, a need for increased innovation is essential. In this study, an investigation was carried in substantiating the effect of market saturation toward the relationship between innovation orientations and new menu innovation process. The region of Klang Valley was chosen as the study setting for its dynamic and matured consumer foodservice market. In this investigation, the theoretical conceptualization and the empirical validation of the proposed menu innovation process as a second-order hierarchical model along with the moderating variable of market saturation as first-order constructs were first advanced using both Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS version 19) and partial least squares. Empirically, the measurement and structural models of this study confirmed adequate estimations based on partial least squares path modeling parameters. In line with the strength of partial least squares to explain complex relationships, the use of path modeling has made it possible to advance the theoretical contribution to this study. The results show that the moderating effect of market saturation on the link between the exogenous and endogenous variables found to have a medium effect size (f2 = 0.289) and significant at ρ < 0.05). The findings point to managerial challenges in shaping competition as evidence of radical innovations is still being pursued, although slightly weaken. This study, apart from its contribution to the model development of menu innovation process, has meaningful implications for restaurateurs to stay afloat in such a market condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2008, New York City mandated that all chain restaurants post calorie information on their menus. For managers of chain and standalone restaurants, as well as for policy makers, a pertinent goal might be to monitor the impact of this regulation on consumer conversations. We propose a scalable Bayesian topic model to measure and understand changes in consumer opinion about health (and other topics). We calibrate the model on 761,962 online reviews of restaurants posted over eight years. Our model allows managers to specify prior topics of interest such as 'health' for a calorie posting regulation. It also allows the distribution of topic proportions within a review to be affected by its length, valence, and the experience level of its author. Using a difference-in-differences estimation approach, we isolate the potentially causal effect of the regulation on consumer opinion. Following the regulation, there was a statistically small but significant increase in the proportion of discussion of the health topic. This increase can be attributed largely to authors who did not post reviews before the regulation, suggesting that the regulation prompted several consumers to discuss health in online restaurant reviews. Data and the online appendix are available at . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Restaurant food is widely consumed by children and is associated with poor diet quality. Although many restaurants have made voluntary commitments to improve the nutritional quality of children's menus, it is unclear whether this has led to meaningful changes.Methods: Nutrients in children's menu items (n=4,016) from 45 chain restaurants were extracted from the nutrition information database MenuStat. Bootstrapped mixed linear models estimated changes in mean calories, saturated fat, and sodium in children's menu items between 2012 and 2013, 2014, and 2015. Changes in nutrient content of these items over time were compared among restaurants participating in the Kids LiveWell initiative and non-participating restaurants. Types of available children's beverages were also examined. Data were analyzed in 2016.Results: There was a significant increase in mean beverage calories from 2012 to 2013 (6, 95% CI=0.8, 10.6) and from 2012 to 2014 (11, 95% CI=3.7, 18.3), but no change between 2012 and 2015, and no differences in nutrient content of other items over time. Restaurants participating in Kids LiveWell reduced entrée calories between 2012 and 2013 (-24, 95% CI= -40.4, -7.2) and between 2012 and 2014 (-40, 95% CI= -68.1, -11.4) and increased side dish calories between 2012 and 2015 (49, 95% CI=4.6, 92.7) versus non-participating restaurants. Sugar-sweetened beverages consistently constituted 80% of children's beverages, with soda declining and flavored milks increasing between 2012 and 2015.Conclusions: Results suggest little progress toward improving nutrition in children's menu items. Efforts are needed to engage restaurants in offering healthful children's meals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine changes in the nutritional content of children's menu items at U.S. restaurant chains between 2010 and 2014. Methods: The sample consisted of 13 sit down and 16 fast-food restaurant chains ranked within the top 50 US chains in 2009. Nutritional information was accessed in June-July 2010 and 2014. Descriptive statistics were calculated for nutrient content of main dishes and side dishes, as well as for those items that were added, removed, or unchanged during the study period. Results: Nutrient content of main dishes did not change significantly between 2010 and 2014. Approximately one-third of main dishes at fast-food restaurant chains and half of main dishes at sit down restaurant chains exceeded the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommended levels for sodium, fat, and saturated fat in 2014. Improvements in nutrient content were observed for side dishes. At sit down restaurant chains, added side dishes contained over 50 % less calories, fat, saturated fat, and sodium, and were more likely to contain fruits/vegetables compared to removed sides (p < 0.05 for all comparisons). Added side dishes at fast-food restaurant chains contained less saturated fat (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The majority of menu items, especially main dishes, available to children still contain high amounts of calories, fat, saturated fat, and sodium. Efforts must be made by the restaurant industry and policy makers to improve the nutritional content of children's menu items at restaurant chains to align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Additional efforts are necessary to help parents and children make informed choices when ordering at restaurant chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decision about which dishes should appear on the menu is crucial to attracting customers and maximizing restaurant profitability. There is a paucity of empirical research on quantifying the effects of particular menu items on the efficiency of a restaurant. The present research used an innovative metafrontier-to-data-envelopment analysis method to aid decision making when distinguishing between desirable, improved, and undesirable menu items by efficiency measurements to increase a restaurant’s profitability. The metatechnology ratio obtained via the metafrontier approach compared the technology level in different meal periods. The results, based on real data gathered during 3 months from two same-brand units of a chain restaurant, show that the efficiency of the metafrontier-to-data-envelopment analysis method increased the profitability of the restaurants by more than 15% compared with the traditional menu-engineering method. The metatechnology ratios also identified that the skill level differed between the meal periods, which was because of the presence of different operators. Managerial and strategic implications for menu planners and future research are described. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study examines the implications of menu calorie labelling in a fine dining restaurant, both on consumer food choices as well as on the restaurant operation team. Menu nutrition labelling has been mandatory in restaurants with more than 20 branches in countries such as United States since 2008, and has been seen practiced in independent restaurants in other countries such as UK and Canada, on voluntarily basis, in recent years. These menu nutrition labelling programs have been initiated in response to growing consumer demand for menu transparency as well as growing global health concerns such obesity and chronic diseases. The impact of menu labelling in fast food restaurants and full service restaurants has been studied extensively, however there is a lack of evidence on implication of menu labelling in fine dining restaurant settings. This study examines clients’ food choices in a fine dining restaurant during a 3-week period without calories labelling (control phase) followed by a 3-week period of menu calorie labelling. Study findings reflected a direct impact of menu calorie labelling on clients’ food choice, with significant reduction in sales of menus with higher calorie content during the labelling phase compared to control phase. An evaluation of the average calories consumer per client during each phase reflected a reduction of 227 calories consumed per client during the labelling phase. Survey results indicated that calorie information was most valued and used by women and older clients. This study also summarizes the opportunities and limitations involved in implementation of menu calorie in fine dining restaurants. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Chain restaurants will soon need to disclose calorie information on menus, but research on the impact of calorie labels on food choices is mixed. This study tested whether calorie information presented in different formats influenced calories ordered and perceived restaurant healthfulness. Participants in an online survey were randomly assigned to a menu with either (1) no calorie labels (No Calories); (2) calorie labels (Calories); (3) calorie labels ordered from low to high calories (Rank-Ordered Calories); or (4) calorie labels ordered from low to high calories that also had red/green circles indicating higher and lower calorie choices (Colored Calories). Participants ordered items for dinner, estimated calories ordered, and rated restaurant healthfulness. Participants in the Rank-Ordered Calories condition and those in the Colored Calories condition ordered fewer calories than the No Calories group. There was no significant difference in calories ordered between the Calories and No Calories groups. Participants in each calorie label condition were significantly more accurate in estimating calories ordered compared to the No Calories group. Those in the Colored Calories group perceived the restaurant as healthier. The results suggest that presenting calorie information in the modified Rank-Ordered or Colored Calories formats may increase menu labeling effectiveness. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Current strategies for combating obesity include recent federal legislation mandating calorie count postings in chain restaurants. This study describes the current practice of menu board calorie postings in a low-income urban neighborhood, identifies the extent to which current practice complies with existing policy, and evaluates the practical utility of menu boards to consumers. We conclude that although most postings were legally compliant, they did not demonstrate utility. Menu postings for individual servings are easily understood, but complex math skills are needed to interpret meals designed to serve more than one person. In some items, calories doubled depending on flavor and the calorie posting did not give enough information to make healthier selections. We identified specific strategies to improve practical utility and provide recommendations for policy implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As part of a comprehensive effort to stem the rise in obesity, King County, Washington, enforced a mandatory menu-labeling regulation requiring all restaurant chains with 15 or more locations to disclose calorie information at the point of purchase beginning in January 2009. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to quantify the impact of the King County regulation on transactions and purchasing behavior at one Mexican fast-food chain with locations within and adjacent to King County. Methods: To examine the effect of the King County regulation, a difference-in-difference approach was used to compare total transactions and average calories per transaction between seven King County restaurants and seven control locations focusing on two time periods: one period immediately following the law until the posting of drive-through menu boards (January 2009 to July 2009) and a second period following the drive-through postings (August 2009 through January 2010). Analyses were conducted in 2010. Results: No impact of the regulation on purchasing behavior was found. Trends in transactions and calories per transaction did not vary between control and intervention locations after the law was enacted. Conclusions: In this setting, mandatory menu labeling did not promote healthier food-purchasing behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]