Calorie labels on menus have no effect on dietary habits because people "don't understand what the numbers really mean," a study suggests.
In April 2022, the British government introduced a policy in England mandating the use of calorie labels by all food outlets with more than 250 employees.
The aim was to make consumers think twice about what they eat when visiting fast food outlets, cafes and restaurants, by providing calorie counts next to each dish, to help combat the rapid rise in obesity.
But, according to a study, the policy has had no significant effect on the number of calories people buy or consume – perhaps because people still don't understand exactly what these numbers mean.
Researchers from the University of Liverpool conducted two surveys before and after the law was implemented to see if it led to any behavioral changes.
They collected data from more than 6,500 people of all ages who had purchased food from more than 300 outlets, including pubs, restaurants, cafes, fast food outlets and entertainment venues.
The analysis found that after the law was implemented, people were more likely to notice and use the calorie labeling system.
They were also more likely to correctly estimate the caloric content of their meals.
However, there were no significant changes in the number of calories purchased or consumed.
On average, people consumed about 18 fewer calories after implementing the policy – the equivalent of about nine grapes.
Lead researcher Dr. Megan Polden said: “The introduction of mandatory calorie labeling was not associated with significant dietary changes in places where food is consumed away from home.”
The findings, published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, revealed that awareness and use of the calorie labelling system were higher among women, the elderly and those with higher incomes.
People were more likely to notice calorie labels when ordering from pubs – perhaps due to the longer time they spend perusing the menu.
The reasons for these findings may be that many countries still do not implement the calorie labeling system on menus and people still do not understand how calories work, the team suggested.
"We know that many businesses have not provided calorie labelling as recommended and some businesses have not provided calorie labelling at all, which could certainly explain our results," said Professor Eric Robinson, who also worked on the study, reports the study. GazetaExpress.
"Our results may also indicate that a combination of strategies... such as public education on calorie intake and clearer labeling, may be needed to support healthier consumer choices."
The study states that a potential barrier to the use of calorie labeling “may be a lack of public understanding of the calorie information presented.”
Commenting on the findings, Professor Amanda Daley, head of the Centre for Lifestyle Medicine and Behaviour at Loughborough University, said: "One problem with calorie labelling is that it simply provides numbers on a page, without any context for the public to understand what these numbers mean when making food decisions."
She added that the study was based on self-reported data from participants and not on actual transactions or information on food consumed, so this is “important to consider when interpreting the results.”
Tom Sanders, emeritus professor of nutrition and dietetics at King's College London, said: "The main finding of this study is that, alone, mandatory calorie labelling is an ineffective public health measure to prevent obesity. This supports the view that calorie labelling does not motivate people to change their dietary habits."
“However, calorie labeling is useful for motivated individuals. Mandatory calorie labeling has also helped computer programs and apps provide accurate and up-to-date nutrient intake estimates using product codes, which is useful for dietitians, nutritionists, and motivated individuals.”
"Consequently, it would be a step backwards to abandon mandatory calorie labelling for the out-of-home food sector." /Express newspaper/
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