Calorie Counting at the Fast Food Counter

Yamamotoa et al. (2005) found that while most teens wouldn’t change their eating behavior if presented with calorie and fat content next to each menu item in three different restaurants, 30 percent of them did. If 30 percent of teenagers (who normally aren’t known for making the healthiest food choices to begin with) will change their ordering behaviors at a restaurant when presented with this information, it suggests adults might enjoy an even higher rate of behavior change. And hey, a 30 percent population change in behavior is significant for virtually any public health campaign.

Why should any of this matter? Why not let people eat what they want, how much they want, when they want?

Well, of course people can eat (and smoke) all they want. I don’t care. But obesity does have a public health impact — many tax dollars that pay for poor and indigent healthcare do so for problems related to obesity (such as Type 2 diabetes). In a 15 year study of 3,031 young adults, Pereira et al. (2005) found that fast-food consumption has a direct association with weight gain and insulin resistance (which can lead to Type 2 diabetes), so this isn’t some hypothetical connection. Higher population obesity rates may also be a contributing factor to a rise in insurance premiums.

I prefer government not have to make mandates such as this one — I prefer companies act in a consumer’s best interest, acknowledge America’s obesity issue, and publish the information on their menuboard without needing a law. But in this case, it appears such information can help people make better-informed decisions about their eating choices. It’s too bad the government has to step in to force companies to provide this information directly where and when it can make an impact in a person’s eating decisions. But I find it no more “coercive” than requiring car manufacturers to post their government-mandated MPG numbers for cars.

And I’m a big fan of making better informed decisions, in any part of our lives.

Read the full editorial: Want a warning label with those fries?

References:

Chandon, P. & Wansink, B. (2007a). Is Obesity Caused by Calorie Underestimation? A Psychophysical Model of Meal Size Estimation. Journal of Marketing Research, 44(1), 84-99.

Chandon, P. & Wansink, B. (2007b). The biasing health halos of fast-food restaurant health claims: Lower calorie estimates and higher side-dish consumption intentions. Journal of Consumer Research, 34(3), 301-314.

Krukowski RA, Harvey-Berino J, Kolodinsky J, Narsana RT, Desisto TP. (2006). Consumers may not use or understand calorie labeling in restaurants. J Am Diet Assoc., 106(6), 917-20.

Pereira, M.A.; Kartashav, A.I.; Ebbeling, C.B.; Van Horn, L.; Slattery, M.L.; Jacobs, D.R. Jr.; Ludwig, D.S. (2005). Fast-food habits, weight gain, and insulin resistance (the CARDIA study): 15-year prospective analysis. Lancet, 365(9453), 36-42.

Yamamotoa, J.A., Yamamoto, J.B., Yamamoto, B.E., & Yamamoto, L.G. (2005). Adolescent fast food and restaurant ordering behavior with and without calorie and fat content menu information. Journal of Adolescent Health, 37(5), 397-402.