Adherence
Restaurant calorie labeling interventions produce mixed results on consumer calorie intake, with some evidence of reduced calories purchased in fast-food and cafeteria settings but no significant effect in many real-world restaurant contexts.
Calorie labels on menus are not a guaranteed fix for overeating. They seem to work best in fast-food and cafeteria settings where choices are more standardized, but often fail in full-service restaurants. To make labels effective, they should be simple (like traffic lights) or combined with daily calorie recommendations, rather than just listing numbers.
Because of a lack of well-powered studies with strong designs, the degree to which menu labeling encourages lower-calorie purchases and whether that translates to a healthier population are unclear. Although there is limited evidence that menu labeling affects calories purchased at fast-food restaurants, some evidence demonstrates that it lowers calories purchased at certain types of restaurants and in cafeteria settings.
Why this rating
The review includes 53 studies, but notes a lack of well-powered studies with strong designs, leading to mixed findings.
Source
A Systematic Review of Calorie Labeling and Modified Calorie Labeling Interventions: Impact on Consumer and Restaurant Behavior
Sara N. Bleich et al. · Obesity · 2017
DOI 10.1002/oby.21940
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