IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jfpoli/v64y2016icp107-120.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Why can calorie posting be apparently ineffective? The roles of two conflicting learning effects

Author

Listed:
  • Shimokawa, Satoru

Abstract

We investigate why the aggregate effect of calorie posting on calorie consumption can be insignificant by decomposing the learning effect into two conflicting components: a calorie-decreasing effect of learning that one was underestimating caloric content (LUE), and a calorie-increasing effect of learning that one was overestimating caloric content (LOE). Our lab snack-order experiments demonstrate the existence of the LUE effect (−8.3%) and the LOE effect (+4.8%), where the aggregate learning effect is −5.8%. Our results also imply that the LUE can be cancelled out by a positive saliency effect, while the undesirable saliency effect may be mitigated by combining the calorie posting with information about daily calorie needs.

Suggested Citation

  • Shimokawa, Satoru, 2016. "Why can calorie posting be apparently ineffective? The roles of two conflicting learning effects," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 107-120.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:64:y:2016:i:c:p:107-120
    DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2016.09.007
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306919216303566
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.foodpol.2016.09.007?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Burton, S. & Creyer, E.H. & Kees, J. & Huggins, K., 2006. "Attacking the obesity epidemic: The potential health benefits of providing nutrition information in restaurants," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 96(9), pages 1669-1675.
    2. Kim, Sung-Yong & Nayga, Rodolfo M., Jr. & Capps, Oral, Jr., 2000. "The Effect Of Food Label Use On Nutrient Intakes: An Endogenous Switching Regression Analysis," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 25(1), pages 1-17, July.
    3. Andreas C. Drichoutis & Panagiotis Lazaridis & Rodolfo M. Nayga, 2005. "Nutrition knowledge and consumer use of nutritional food labels," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 32(1), pages 93-118, March.
    4. Julie S. Downs & George Loewenstein & Jessica Wisdom, 2009. "Strategies for Promoting Healthier Food Choices," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 99(2), pages 159-164, May.
    5. Mario F. Teisl & Nancy E. Bockstael & Alan Levy, 2001. "Measuring the Welfare Effects of Nutrition Information," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 83(1), pages 133-149.
    6. Bryan Bollinger & Phillip Leslie & Alan Sorensen, 2011. "Calorie Posting in Chain Restaurants," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 3(1), pages 91-128, February.
    7. Maria L. Loureiro & Steven T. Yen & Rodolfo M. Nayga, Jr, 2012. "The effects of nutritional labels on obesity," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 43(3), pages 333-342, May.
    8. Nelson, Joshua & McCluskey, Jill J., 2010. "Effects Of Posting Calorie Information On Quick Service Restaurant Menus," 115th Joint EAAE/AAEA Seminar, September 15-17, 2010, Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany 116435, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    9. Benjamin Bushong & Lindsay M. King & Colin F. Camerer & Antonio Rangel, 2010. "Pavlovian Processes in Consumer Choice: The Physical Presence of a Good Increases Willingness-to-Pay," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 100(4), pages 1556-1571, September.
    10. Visschers, Vivianne H.M. & Hartmann, Christina & Leins-Hess, Rebecca & Dohle, Simone & Siegrist, Michael, 2013. "A consumer segmentation of nutrition information use and its relation to food consumption behaviour," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 71-80.
    11. Bassett, M.T. & Dumanovsky, T. & Huang, C. & Silver, L.D. & Young, C. & Nonas, C. & Matte, T.D. & Chideya, S. & Frieden, T.R., 2008. "Purchasing behavior and calorie information at fast-food chains in New York City, 2007," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 98(8), pages 1457-1459.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Guan, Lijun & Huang, Zuhui & Jin, Shaosheng, 2022. "Time preference and nutrition label use: Evidence from China," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 47(C).
    2. Guan, Lijun & Zhang, Yan & Jin, Shaosheng & Zhou, Lin, 2021. "Understanding the low use rate of food nutrition information in China," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 24(5), April.
    3. Satoru Shimokawa & Dezhuang Hu & Dandan Li & Hong Cheng, 2021. "The urban–rural gap in the demand for food safety in China: The role of food label knowledge," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 52(2), pages 175-193, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Loureiro, Maria L. & Rahmani, Djamal, 2013. "Calorie labeling and fast food choices in surveys and actual markets: some new behavioral results," 2013 Annual Meeting, August 4-6, 2013, Washington, D.C. 150622, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    2. Defago, Daniel & Geng, José F. & Molina, Oswaldo & Santa María, Diego, 2017. "Digestible information: The impact of Multiple Traffic Light nutritional labeling in a developing country," MPRA Paper 79678, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Shimokawa, Satoru, 2013. "Two Asymmetric and Conflicting Learning Effects of Calorie Posting on Overeating: Laboratory Snack Choice Experiment," 2013 Annual Meeting, August 4-6, 2013, Washington, D.C. 149687, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    4. Bonanno, Alessandro & Bimbo, Francesco & Cleary, Rebecca & Castellari, Elena, 2018. "Food labels and adult BMI in Italy – An unconditional quantile regression approach," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 199-211.
    5. Loureiro, Maria L. & Rahmani, Djamel, 2016. "The incidence of calorie labeling on fast food choices: A comparison between stated preferences and actual choices," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 82-93.
    6. Zhu, Chen & Huang, Rui, 2014. "Heterogeneity in Consumer Responses to Front-of-Package Nutrition Labels: Evidence from a Natural Experiment?," Working Papers 27, University of Connecticut, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Charles J. Zwick Center for Food and Resource Policy.
    7. Andreas C. Drichoutis & Panagiotis Lazaridis & Rodolfo M. Nayga Jr, 2009. "On Consumers' Valuation Of Nutrition Information," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 61(3), pages 223-247, July.
    8. Hayden Stewart & Jeffrey Hyman & Diansheng Dong, 2015. "Menu Labeling Fills the Gaps in Consumers’ Knowledge of the Calorie Content of Restaurant Foods," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(4), pages 491-506, October.
    9. Rachel Griffith & Martin O'Connell & Kate Smith, 2017. "The Importance of Product Reformulation Versus Consumer Choice in Improving Diet Quality," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 84(333), pages 34-53, January.
    10. Allais, Olivier & Bazoche, Pascale & Teyssier, Sabrina, 2017. "Getting more people on the stairs: The impact of point-of-decision prompts," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 192(C), pages 18-27.
    11. Besharat, Ali & Romero, Marisabel & Haws, Kelly, 2021. "Customizing calories: How rejecting (vs. selecting) ingredients leads to lower calorie estimation and unhealthier food choices," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 97(3), pages 424-438.
    12. Fichera, Eleonora & von Hinke, Stephanie, 2020. "The response to nutritional labels: Evidence from a quasi-experiment," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    13. Kelly Bedard & Peter J. Kuhn, 2013. "Making Nutritional Information Digestible: Effects of a Receipt-Based Intervention on Restaurant Purchases," NBER Working Papers 19654, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    14. Nordström, Jonas & Thunström, Linda & Van ’T Veld, Klaas & Shogren, Jason F. & Ehmke, Mariah, 2023. "Strategic ignorance of health risk: its causes and policy consequences," Behavioural Public Policy, Cambridge University Press, vol. 7(1), pages 83-114, January.
    15. Seenivasan, Satheesh & Thomas, Dominic, 2016. "Negative consequences of nutrition information disclosure on consumption behavior in quick-casual restaurants," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 51-60.
    16. Balcombe, Kelvin & Fraser, Iain & Falco, Salvatore Di, 2010. "Traffic lights and food choice: A choice experiment examining the relationship between nutritional food labels and price," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 211-220, June.
    17. Yu Na Lee & Laura Stortz & Mike von Massow & Christopher Kimmerer, 2023. "Impact of ‘‘high in” front‐of‐package nutrition labeling on food choices: Evidence from a grocery shopping experiment," Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie, Canadian Agricultural Economics Society/Societe canadienne d'agroeconomie, vol. 71(3-4), pages 277-301, September.
    18. Berning, Joshua P. & Chouinard, Hayley H. & Manning, Kenneth C. & McCluskey, Jill J. & Sprott, David E., 2010. "Identifying consumer preferences for nutrition information on grocery store shelf labels," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 429-436, October.
    19. Jo, Jisung & Lusk, Jayson L. & Muller, Laurent & Ruffieux, Bernard, 2016. "Value of parsimonious nutritional information in a framed field experiment," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 124-133.
    20. Cavaliere, Alessia & De Marchi, Elisa & Banterle, Alessandro, 2015. "Information based food policy: is nutritional label the right instrument for everyone?," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 211399, International Association of Agricultural Economists.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Calorie consumption; Calorie posting; Laboratory experiment; Learning;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D81 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Criteria for Decision-Making under Risk and Uncertainty
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • Q18 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Policy; Food Policy; Animal Welfare Policy

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:64:y:2016:i:c:p:107-120. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/foodpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.