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It’s not news that obesity is a growing problem. But are any efforts to stop it effective?
A new law has required that all food locations with over 20 locations have to have their calorie counts on their menus by December 2016. This is great news, but here’s the real question: does this tactic actually help?
A new study says that it may not actually affect anything.
This brand-new study looked at fast food chains New York City, which was the first place in America to require chains with more than 15 locations to put calorie labels on their menus. It compared the orders at these restaurants with orders from fast food chains in New Jersey, where no calorie labels are required. It measured these numbers in 2008, and then again in 2013-14, becoming the first long-term study of its kind.
In 2008, 51 percent of New York fast food diners said they’d noticed the calorie info, and 12 percent said they’d used it to make lower-calorie choices. The New Jersey numbers were 14 percent and 2 percent, respectively.
However, calories per order remained, on average, the same. There was apparently no real change in the type of orders, or how often these survey participants ordered fast food.
Even worse, calories purchased increased between 2008 and 2013-14, in both states.
The studies done before this one suggested that this practice of labeling calories showed minor benefits at best. However, the hope was that the long-term benefits would prove to be larger.
However, the study authors don’t believe that this disproves its effectiveness entirely.
After all, they say, it doesn’t mean that it won’t be effective in sit-down restaurants, or for certain groups of people who are health-conscious.
However, study authors admit it’s depressing news, and they say it should be used to help find other label modifications that can help fight obesity. But they’re less than hopeful. They note that for any other menu changes, “the likelihood of their being adopted at a policy level is limited.”
