This article assesses the impact of fast food restaurant menu labeling on the calorie content of individual lunchtime purchases of customers in New York City. Researchers found that, for the full survey sample, mean calories purchased did not change from before to after regulation. However, three major fast-food chains showed significant reductions in average calories per purchase after menu labeling had been in place for nine months (McDonald’s: 829 v. 785 kcal; Au Bon Pain: 555 v. 475 kcal; Kentucky Fried Chicken: 927 v. 868 kcal). Average calorie content increased for one chain (Subway: 749 v 882 calories). Customers who reported using calorie information in fast-food restaurants purchased meals with an average of 106 fewer calories.
Published: July 2011
ID #: 65839
Journal: BMJ
Authors: Dumanovsky T, Huang CY, Nonas CA, Matte TD, Bassett MT, Silver LD
Age Group: Adults and Families
Keywords: Fast food, Food outlet, Menu Labeling, Point-of-decision prompts, Restaurant, Urban
Focus Area: Food Retail
Resource Type: Journal Article
Race/Ethnicity: Multi-racial/ethnic
State: New York
Related Research
March 2009
Analyzing the Impact of the New York City Calorie Labeling Regulation
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) approved calorie labeling for restaurant chains with 15 or more stores nationally as part of the city’s effort to combat obesity. This regulation requires that calories are posted on menu boards; it is intended to increase prominence of calorie information at point-of-purchase to help MoreJanuary 2025
Simulated retail food environments: A literature review of systems science approaches to advance equity in access to healthy diets
As researchers increasingly utilize systems science simulation modeling (SSSM), little is known about how and by whom SSSMs are being leveraged to address inequities in access to healthy diets. We evaluated the extent to which studies (n = 66) employing SSSM to examine retail food environments (RFEs): included three pillars of equity (social position, human capital, socioeconomic MoreSeptember 2024