Calorie labels only influence people already trying to lose weight

"'While this was a small study, the results suggest that simply placing calorie labels on menus is not enough to change behaviour for most diners,' co-author Dr Pablo Pereira Doel, from the University of Surrey, said. 'Policy makers and consumers should recognize that food choices are driven far more by habit, taste, social context and personal goals than by nutritional information alone. 'If we want to encourage healthier eating, we need approaches that address those deeper motivations, not just the numbers on the page.'"

"Researchers have discovered that being told your beef pie is 1,362 calories or your cheeseburger is 2,133 calories makes no difference to what you order unless you're watching what you eat. It casts further doubt on the effectiveness of the government's policy, introduced in 2022, that ordered the use of calorie labels by all food outlets with more than 250 employees."

Calorie labels on menus do not alter most diners' choices unless individuals are actively trying to lose weight. A controlled lab experiment had thirty-six diners choose from a traditional pub menu once without calorie information and once with calorie counts displayed. Exact calorie amounts were shown for starters, mains, sides and puddings, including high counts for items such as chicken Kiev and cheeseburgers. Most participants ignored the calorie information and made similar choices across sessions. The mandated policy requiring calorie labels in large food outlets may therefore be insufficient on its own to change eating habits. Taste, habit, social context and personal goals dominate food choice.

Read at Mail Online