Why calorie labels on menus aren’t helping us eat less, study finds

Alice Barraclough
·3-min read
calorie counts on menus
Calorie counts on menus don’t work, study findsHispanolistic

Since 2022, calorie labels on menus have been compulsory for any restaurant, café or takeaway chain in England with more than 250 staff. The idea behind this enforced rule was to help tackle obesity by helping people to make healthier choices.

But, according to a new study, calorie counts on menus do not reduce how much people eat.

The research

Led by researchers from the University of Liverpool, the new study, published in Nature Human Behaviour, examined whether the mandatory calorie labelling law had increased customer awareness of calorie labelling and/or substantially influenced calorie consumption.

The methods

The study analysed data from more than 6,500 people – looking at what they ordered when eating out, both before and after the policy came into place, in 330 food outlets across England.

The 6,500 customers who participated provided insights into their calorie consumption, their awareness and use of calorie information, and their understanding of the amount of calories in their meals.

The results

According to the researchers at the University of Liverpool:

  • There was no meaningful decrease in the number of calories purchased or consumed following the policy implementation.

  • Noticing of calorie information rose, with 31.8% of participants reporting awareness of calorie labels post-implementation, compared to 16.5% before.

  • Despite higher awareness, only a small percentage of customers (22%) reported using calorie information when making food choices following the policy implementation.

  • Awareness and use of calorie labelling were higher among women, older adults, and people in higher socioeconomic groups.

What does this mean for us?

‘The introduction of mandatory calorie labelling alone was not associated with significant dietary changes in out-of-home food settings,’ said lead researcher Dr Megan Polden.

Professor Eric Robinson added: ‘We know that many businesses have not been providing calorie labelling as recommended and some businesses have not provided any calorie labelling at all, which of course may explain our results.

‘Our results may also indicate that a combination of strategies, such as improved business compliance measures, public education on calorie intake and clearer labelling, could be necessary to support healthier consumer choices.’

In summary, calorie labelling is useful for some – and has led to increased awareness. But (and it’s a big but), calorie labelling alone does not motivate people to change their dietary habits, or reduce how much people eat.

The bottom line

Funded by the Government's National Institute for Health and Care Research Policy Research Programme, this study comes at a time when an estimated 25.9% of adults and 1 in 5 children aged 10 to 11 are classified as obese.

The study suggests that further investigation is needed to assess how mandatory calorie labelling in restaurants and cafés can be improved, and whether this will increase public understanding and lead to healthier habits.

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