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Calorie Labeling in Chain Restaurants and Body Weight: Evidence from New York

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  • Brandon J. Restrepo

Abstract

This study analyzes the impact of local mandatory calorie labeling laws implemented by New York jurisdictions on body weight. The analysis indicates that on average the point‐of‐purchase provision of calorie information on chain restaurant menus reduced body mass index (BMI) by 1.5% and lowered the risk of obesity by 12%. Quantile regression results indicate that calorie labeling has similar impacts across the BMI distribution. An analysis of heterogeneity suggests that calorie labeling has a larger impact on the body weight of lower income individuals, especially lower income minorities. The estimated impacts of calorie labeling on physical activity, smoking, and the consumption of alcoholic beverages, fruits, and vegetables are small in magnitude, which suggests that other margins of adjustment drive the body‐weight impacts estimated here. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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  • Brandon J. Restrepo, 2017. "Calorie Labeling in Chain Restaurants and Body Weight: Evidence from New York," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(10), pages 1191-1209, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:26:y:2017:i:10:p:1191-1209
    DOI: 10.1002/hec.3389
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    Cited by:

    1. Christopher Carpenter & Sebastian Tello-Trillo, 2015. "Do 'Cheeseburger Bills' Work? Effects of Tort Reform for Fast Food," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 58(4).
    2. Guan, Lijun & Huang, Zuhui & Jin, Shaosheng, 2022. "Time preference and nutrition label use: Evidence from China," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 47(C).
    3. Saksena, Michelle J. & Okrent, Abigail M. & Anekwe, Tobenna D. & Cho, Clare & Dicken, Christopher & Effland, Anne & Elitzak, Howard & Guthrie, Joanne & Hamrick, Karen S. & Hyman, Jeffrey & Jo, Young &, 2018. "America’s Eating Habits:Food Away From Home," Economic Information Bulletin 281119, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    4. Jessica E. Todd & Lisa Mancino & Brandon J. Restrepo & Claudine Kavanaugh & Chris Dicken & Vince Breneman, 2021. "Food Away From Home And Caloric Intake: The Role Of Restaurant Menu Labeling Laws," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 59(1), pages 53-71, January.
    5. Kee, Jennifer Y. & Segovia, Michelle S. & Palma, Marco A., 2023. "Slim or Plus-Size Burrito? A natural experiment of consumers’ restaurant choice," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    6. DeJarnette, Patrick, 2020. "Temptation over time: Delays help," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 177(C), pages 752-761.
    7. Abu Elnasr E. Sobaih & Mohamed Algezawy & Ibrahim A. Elshaer, 2023. "Adopting an Extended Theory of Planned Behaviour to Examine Buying Intention and Behaviour of Nutrition-Labelled Menu for Healthy Food Choices in Quick Service Restaurants: Does the Culture of Consume," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-19, March.
    8. Rodrigo Aranda & Michael Darden & Donald Rose, 2021. "Measuring the impact of calorie labeling: The mechanisms behind changes in obesity," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(11), pages 2858-2878, November.
    9. Kee, Jennifer & Segovia, Michelle S. & Saboury, Piruz & Palma, Marco A., 2022. "Appealing to generosity to reduce food calorie intake: A natural field experiment," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 110(C).
    10. Todd, Jessica E. & Mancino, Lisa & Restrepo, Brandon J. & Dicken, Christopher W. & Breneman, Vincent E. & Kavanaugh, Claudine, 2017. "The Effect of Restaurant Calorie Labeling on Dietary Intake," 2017 Annual Meeting, July 30-August 1, Chicago, Illinois 259177, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    11. J. M. Bauer & L. A. Reisch, 2019. "Behavioural Insights and (Un)healthy Dietary Choices: a Review of Current Evidence," Journal of Consumer Policy, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 3-45, March.
    12. Partha Deb & Carmen Vargas, 2016. "Who Benefits from Calorie Labeling? An Analysis of its Effects on Body Mass," NBER Working Papers 21992, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    13. Kushneel Prakash & Sefa Awaworyi Churchill & Russell Smyth, 2022. "Petrol prices and obesity," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(7), pages 1381-1401, July.
    14. Zeballos, Eliana & Anekwe, Tobenna D., 2018. "The Association Between Nutrition Information Use and the Healthfulness of Food Acquisitions," Economic Research Report 276241, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    15. Rok Spruk & Mitja Kovac, 2020. "Does a ban on trans fats improve public health: synthetic control evidence from Denmark," Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics, Springer;Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics, vol. 156(1), pages 1-32, December.

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