Three essays on the effects of calorie labeling in full service restaurants

Abstract

Scope and Method of Study:

Two field experiments were conducted in restaurants on the Oklahoma State University campus to study the effects of calorie labels on restaurant menus. Two types of calorie labels were implemented: a numeric calorie label where the number of calories was listed by each menu item and a symbolic calorie label where a traffic light symbol (indicating specific caloric ranges) was provided in addition to the number of calories for each menu item.

Findings and Conclusions:

Results show that the numeric calorie label (as currently proposed by the FDA) will have a modest (if any) effect on caloric intake, yet the effectiveness of the numeric label can be enhanced with the addition of a traffic light symbol. Additionally, this study finds that calorie labels have the most influence on diners who are the least health conscious. It is important to note, however, that the symbolic calorie label causes even the most health conscious people to reduce their caloric intake, suggesting that the traffic light label has the potential to influence a greater proportion of diners.