What calorie labels on menus really do to your eating habits
Calorie labels on menus mean people have 11 fewer calories per meal – the equivalent of just two almonds, research suggests.
The analysis by Oxford and Cambridge Universities found that putting calories on menus and products had a “small” but “potentially meaningful” effect on people’s food choices.
Scientists found that the labels led to an average reduction in the calories people selected and purchased of 1.8 per cent – equating to 11 calories in a 600 calorie meal – or around two almonds.
The evidence came from a review of 25 studies.
However, the Cochrane Review, which also involved scientists from UCL and Bath Spa University found small daily changes could have meaningful effects if sustained in the long term – combatting the weight gain that typically comes with age.
It cited a UK government report which found that cutting daily energy intake by just 24 calories per day was enough to prevent the average weight gain of a stone in 10 years for those in their 20s and 30s.
Senior author Dr Gareth Hollands, from the UCL Social Research Institute, said: “Our review suggests that calorie labelling leads to a modest reduction in the calories people purchase and consume.
“This may have some impact on health at the population level, but calorie labelling is certainly no silver bullet.”
Calorie labelling on menus in the UK became mandatory in April 2022. The law applies to large businesses, including restaurants, cafes, and takeaways, with more than 250 employees.
Dr Hollands said: “We can now say with considerable confidence that it does have a small but potentially meaningful effect on people’s food choices. Labelling may therefore have a useful role, ideally alongside a broader set of approaches that place more onus on industry rather than individuals, such as taxes, marketing restrictions and reformulation.
“However, we should not expect miracles, and any implementation of calorie labelling must balance the many potential positive and negative impacts of such policies.”
The review looked at evidence from studies involving more than 10,000 participants from high-income countries including Canada, France, the UK and the US.
Concerns remained about the possible impact of calorie labelling on people at risk of disordered eating.
The review said there was a lack of data in the studies on possible harms, including mental health impacts.
Professor Keith Frayn, from Oxford University, said: “In the real world, there is a hope of additional benefit as food suppliers reduce the calorie content of their products to make them more attractive to discerning consumers.
“There is some evidence for this occurring. So the true impact of calorie labelling over time is likely, if anything, to be greater than observed here.
“That makes calorie labelling a useful tool that will need to be employed along with other measures to help people reduce calorie consumption.”
Lead author Dr Natasha Clarke of Bath Spa University, who began the project at the University of Cambridge, said: “This review strengthens the evidence that calorie labelling can lead to small but consistent reductions in calorie selection”.
“While the overall impact on individual meals or food purchases may be modest, the evidence is robust. The cumulative effect at a population level could make a meaningful contribution to public health, especially as calorie labelling becomes more widespread.”
In November, research on diners found that just one in four said they used the calorie information to decide what to order.
Rich people, women and older people were more likely to factor the calorie information into their order, the study from the University of Liverpool found.
