Menu Labeling: Does Providing Nutrition Information at the Point of Purchase Affect Consumer Behavior?

Research Synthesis Provides Latest Data on the Impact of Menu Labeling
Because Americans spend nearly half of their food budget either eating out or purchasing food prepared away from home, and because the majority of restaurants do not provide nutrition information at the point of purchase, public health advocates and policy-makers are increasingly looking to menu labeling as a way of addressing the nation’s obesity epidemic. Momentum is growing as states and municipalities implement menu labeling policies and Congress considers the strategy as part of health reform.

This new research synthesis by Healthy Eating Research provides the latest information on the use of menu labeling in food establishments, such as restaurants and cafeterias, and the potential impact of labeling on consumers’ food and beverage selections. 

Key findings include:

• Most consumers would like to see nutrition information in the places where they go out to eat.
• The number of U.S. restaurants that provide nutrition information to consumers has increased over the past decade; however, the majority of restaurants do not provide consumers with this information at the point of purchase (e.g., on the menu).
• Most consumers underestimate the number of calories and fat in away-from-home foods and tend to make greater errors when menu items are high in calories or when they are ordering from establishments that promote themselves or their menu items as healthy.
• Requiring restaurants to provide point-of-purchase nutrition information could help reduce obesity by promoting the introduction of healthier menu options.

Read the research synthesis.

Support for this research synthesis was provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

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