Menu Calorie Counts Don't Change Eating Habits
Posted on Oct 9th 2009 12:00PM by Martha EdwardsFiled Under: Diet & Weight Loss
The addition of calorie counts to menu boards at fast food restaurants in NYC has been generally regarded as a controversial-yet-monumental step in conquering obesity -- so it's a little bit disappointing that a study recently found that they don't actually work in low income neighborhoods.
The study, published in the journal Health Affairs, found that only half of the 1,156 consumers questioned actually noticed the nutritional information, and of those, only a quarter said that it made a difference in their food choices. That's not all -- the researchers charted data from both before and after the labeling scheme was introduced and found that the average amount of calories consumed by each patron actually went slightly up.
"We did not find evidence in our sample that menu labeling influenced the total number of calories purchased at the population level," concluded lead author Brian Elbel, adding "menu labels may need to be coupled with additional policy approaches."
But NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg is standing by the decision to include calorie counts on menus. "At least the public has information and that's the government's job -- to make sure that the public has information," Reuters reported him saying. Still, at the end of the day, it's up to each of us to make the right choice for our health.
So, should calorie counts be on menus in other places, too, or should we just cut our loses?
The study, published in the journal Health Affairs, found that only half of the 1,156 consumers questioned actually noticed the nutritional information, and of those, only a quarter said that it made a difference in their food choices. That's not all -- the researchers charted data from both before and after the labeling scheme was introduced and found that the average amount of calories consumed by each patron actually went slightly up.
"We did not find evidence in our sample that menu labeling influenced the total number of calories purchased at the population level," concluded lead author Brian Elbel, adding "menu labels may need to be coupled with additional policy approaches."
But NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg is standing by the decision to include calorie counts on menus. "At least the public has information and that's the government's job -- to make sure that the public has information," Reuters reported him saying. Still, at the end of the day, it's up to each of us to make the right choice for our health.
So, should calorie counts be on menus in other places, too, or should we just cut our loses?
