New Calorie Menu Labeling Study For Obesity Reduction

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A new study from the University of Iowa is researching if obesity rates are affected in communities where restaurants label calorie counts on menus.

Since 2011, the study has collected calorie-labeled menus from various restaurants where local ordinances require restaurants to publish calorie counts. Researchers have revealed that early evidence from the study suggest that the body mass index (BMI) has fallen over time in areas with required menu labeling, compared to nearby counties.

However, David Frisvold, the main researcher and assistant professor of economics at the Tippie College of Business, said in an article that most of the early studies on local menu-labeling laws have evaluated items ordered at large chain restaurants and shows no to little changes in diner’s ordering habits with or without calorie labeling on menus.

Calorie-labeling requirements are to be implemented by December 1, 2016, in all diners as part of the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA), as a way to inform diners of the nutritional content of food ordered.

Frisvold hopes to have a more comprehensive picture, as he has plans to evaluate the ACA’s menu-labeling requirement on restaurant menu offerings and prices, diner’s eating habits and physical activity as well as BMI and obesity.

To continue his study Frisvold was awarded $1.3 million by the National Institutes of Health to study the nationwide impact on menu labeling.

To read more on this study, click here.