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Effect of Menu Labeling on Caloric Intake and Restaurant Revenue in Full-Service Restaurants

Author

Listed:
  • Ellison, Brenna D.
  • Lusk, Jayson L.
  • Davis, David W.

Abstract

In an effort to help Americans make healthier food choices, U.S. lawmakers recently mandated certain restaurants to add calorie labels to their menus. In this study, we implement the same numeric calorie labels in two different full service restaurants using two different experimental designs. Ultimately, both field experiments lead us to the same conclusion: the numeric calorie label (as currently proposed by the FDA) had little effect on total caloric intake. Our results do reveal, however, that the effectiveness of the numeric label could be enhanced with the addition of a traffic light symbol identifying low-, medium-, and high-calorie items.

Suggested Citation

  • Ellison, Brenna D. & Lusk, Jayson L. & Davis, David W., 2012. "Effect of Menu Labeling on Caloric Intake and Restaurant Revenue in Full-Service Restaurants," 2012 Annual Meeting, August 12-14, 2012, Seattle, Washington 123325, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:aaea12:123325
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.123325
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. 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.
    2. Jessica Wisdom & Julie S. Downs & George Loewenstein, 2010. "Promoting Healthy Choices: Information versus Convenience," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 2(2), pages 164-178, April.
    3. Pulos, E. & Leng, K., 2010. "Evaluation of a voluntary menu-labeling program in full-service restaurants," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 100(6), pages 1035-1039.
    4. Berning Joshua P & Chouinard Hayley H & McCluskey Jill J, 2008. "Consumer Preferences for Detailed versus Summary Formats of Nutrition Information on Grocery Store Shelf Labels," Journal of Agricultural & Food Industrial Organization, De Gruyter, vol. 6(1), pages 1-22, August.
    5. Keith Wilcox & Beth Vallen & Lauren Block & Gavan J. Fitzsimons, 2009. "Vicarious Goal Fulfillment: When the Mere Presence of a Healthy Option Leads to an Ironically Indulgent Decision," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 36(3), pages 380-393.
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    Keywords

    Agricultural and Food Policy; Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety; Institutional and Behavioral Economics;
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