Calorie labels encourage people to eat less with just a single crisp, says research
Calorie labels on menus and food packages encourage people to choose healthier options, but only to the tune of 11 calories – the same as a single Pringle crisp.
That is the discovery of a study into how effectively menu lists can encourage consumers to choose lower-calorie foods.
“Our research suggests that calorie labeling leads to a modest reduction in the calories people buy and consume,” says Dr. Gareth Hollands of University College London’s social research institute, a senior author of the findings.
Displaying calorie information in cafes, restaurants and supermarkets only leads to an average reduction of 1.8% in the total amount of calories people consume. That amounts to just 11 calories in a typical 600-calorie meal, or the same as two almonds, Hollands added.
“This review strengthens the evidence that calorie labeling can lead to a small but consistent reduction in calorie selection,” said Dr Natasha Clarke from Bath Spa University, the lead author.
Despite what she acknowledged as the “modest” impact of labels on the food purchased, “the cumulative effect at the population level could make a meaningful contribution to public health.”
The researchers came to their conclusions after reviewing 25 previous studies on the subject, involving more than 10,000 people from wealthy countries such as Britain, France and the US. Their study will be published on Friday by the Cochrane Library, a global publisher of evidence-based medicine.
Large cafes, restaurants and takeaways with more than 250 employees have been required by English law since April 2022 to display the calorie count of all non-prepacked food and soft drinks they sell on their menus, online menus, third-party apps and food delivery platforms.
The reduction in calorie intake through labels is so small that ministers should remove the obligation for food companies to display the information at all, the body representing pubs and restaurants said.
“In practice, the policy has only increased costs for businesses, with many facing thousands of pounds of extra expenditure every year. Given these findings and the ongoing costs to businesses, I would urge the Government to review this policy,” said Kate Nicholls, the CEO of UKHospitality.
But the Food and Drink Federation, which represents supermarkets and food manufacturers, said labels “help consumers understand the nutrients and calories in the food they eat (and) choose low-calorie options that can support their longer-term health. ”
However, a spokesperson for the federation added: “Labeling alone is not a silver bullet to tackling the complex problem of obesity.”
Experts are divided on how important labels can be in tackling obesity.
“The question is whether such a small change would have any impact on body weight in the long term,” says Tom Sanders, emeritus professor of nutrition and dietetics at King’s College London.
People only lose weight when they consume 200 fewer calories per day for a “longer” period, and consumers also become “fatigued by calorie labeling in the long run,” he added.
But Amanda Daley, professor of behavioral medicine at Loughborough University, said “calorie labeling can play a role” in efforts to help the public make healthier eating decisions. Based on the fact that people eat three meals a day, “these small amounts can add up and potentially contribute to reducing obesity in the population.”