Research
Adherence
Mandatory energy (calorie) labelling on restaurant menus significantly reduces the amount of energy purchased per meal, though the evidence quality is low.
If you want to reduce calories when eating out, look for restaurants that display calorie counts on their menus. This information helps you make slightly healthier choices, potentially saving about 47 calories per meal on average.
LimitedSupportsLOW confidence
A meta-analysis of the three RCTs, all of which assessed energy labelling on menus in restaurants, demonstrated a statistically significant reduction of 47 kcal in energy purchased (MD −46.72 kcal, 95% CI −78.35, −15.10, N = 1877).
Why this rating
The Cochrane review rates the evidence as 'low' quality due to risk of bias and imprecision.
Source
Nutritional labelling for healthier food or non-alcoholic drink purchasing and consumption
Rachel A. Crockett et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2018
DOI 10.1002/14651858.cd009315.pub2
Meta-analysis · 28 studiesCited 305×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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