Calorie Labeling And Food Choices: A First Look At The Effects On Low-Income People In New York City: Calorie information on menus appears to increase awareness of calorie content, but not necessarily the number of calories people purchase.
Abstract
We examined the influence of menu calorie labels on fast food choices in the wake of New York City's labeling mandate. Receipts and survey responses were collected from 1,156 adults at fast-food restaurants in low-income, minority New York communities. These were compared to a sample in Newark, New Jersey, a city that had not introduced menu labeling. We found that 27.7 percent who saw calorie labeling in New York said the information influenced their choices. However, we did not detect a change in calories purchased after the introduction of calorie labeling. We encourage more research on menu labeling and greater attention to evaluating and implementing other obesity-related policies.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Posting of caloric information for foods and beverages on menu boards of New York City fast-food restaurants was associated with increased self-reported awareness of calorie information but did not affect average calorie consumption by patrons of these restaurants in low-income areas of New York City when compared with either pre-menu labeling or control areas in Newark, New Jersey.
“Similarly, posting of caloric information for foods and beverages on menu boards of New York City fast-food restaurants was associated with increased self-reported awareness of calorie information115 but did not affect average calorie consumption by patrons of these restaurants in low-income areas of New York City when compared with either pre-menu labeling or control areas in Newark, New Jersey.”
From Population Approaches to Improve Diet, Physical Activity, and Smoking Habits: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association (2012) · cites this paper as [120]
Cites
Unrealistic optimism about future life events
Weinstein, N. D. (1980) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.39.5.806 · Cited by 4,999 · see citing works
Prevalence of overweight and obesity among US children, adolescents, and adults, 1999-2002.
Hedley, A. A., Ogden, C., Johnson, C. L., Carroll, M., Curtin, L. R., & Flegal, K. (2004) · Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) · doi:10.1001/jama.291.23.2847 · Cited by 4,670 · see citing works
National Conference of State Legislatures
Clink, K. (2011) · Reference Reviews · doi:10.1108/09504121111114072 · Cited by 2,321 · see citing works
Medicare's search for effective obesity treatments: Diets are not the answer.
Mann, T., Tomiyama, A. J., Westling, E., Lew, A.-M., Samuels, B., & Chatman, J. (2007) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/0003-066x.62.3.220 · Cited by 1,208 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Eating behavior is notoriously resistant to change.(39) A large body of research has shown that weight-loss interventions designed to educate people about healthful food choices are generally ineffective.”
BackgroundAn economic analysis of adult obesity: results from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
Chou, S., Grossman, M. B., & Saffer, H. (2004) · Journal of Health Economics · doi:10.1016/j.jhealeco.2003.10.003 · Cited by 1,074 · see citing works
Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health
Kushi, L. H., & Nestle, M. (2003) · Journal of Public Health Policy · doi:10.2307/3343179 · Cited by 1,061 · see citing works
US Department of Health & Human Services; Public Health Service; Office of Surgeon General (2001) · PsycEXTRA Dataset · doi:10.1037/e301232004-001 · Cited by 1,001 · see citing works
Evaluating the Impact of Menu Labeling on Food Choices and Intake
Roberto, C. A., Larsen, P. D., Agnew, H., Baik, J., & Brownell, K. D. (2009) · American Journal of Public Health · doi:10.2105/ajph.2009.160226 · Cited by 409 · see citing works
Burton, S., Creyer, E. H., Kees, J., & Huggins, K. A. (2006) · American Journal of Public Health · doi:10.2105/ajph.2004.054973 · Cited by 408 · see citing works
Strategies for Promoting Healthier Food Choices
Downs, J. S., Loewenstein, G., & Wisdom, J. (2009) · American Economic Review · doi:10.1257/aer.99.2.159 · Cited by 363 · see citing works
The optimism bias and traffic accident risk perception
DeJoy, D. M. (1989) · Accident Analysis & Prevention · doi:10.1016/0001-4575(89)90024-9 · Cited by 339 · see citing works
Wilcox, K., Vallen, B., Block, L., & Fitzsimons, G. J. (2009) · Journal of Consumer Research · doi:10.1086/599219 · Cited by 304 · see citing works
A conceptual model of the food choice process over the life course.
Sobal, J., Bisogni, C. A., Devine, C. M., & Jastran, M. (2006) · CABI eBooks · doi:10.1079/9780851990323.0001 · Cited by 261 · see citing works
Purchasing Behavior and Calorie Information at Fast-Food Chains in New York City, 2007
Bassett, M. T., Dumanovsky, T., Huang, C., Silver, L. D., Young, C., Nonas, C., Matte, T. D., Chideya, S., & Frieden, T. R. (2008) · American Journal of Public Health · doi:10.2105/ajph.2008.135020 · Cited by 259 · see citing works
Harnack, L., French, S. A., Oakes, J. M., Story, M. T., Jeffery, R. W., & Rydell, S. A. (2008) · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · doi:10.1186/1479-5868-5-63 · Cited by 251 · see citing works
Autonomy and control: The co-construction of adolescent food choice
Bassett, R., Chapman, G. E., & Beagan, B. L. (2008) · Appetite · doi:10.1016/j.appet.2007.08.009 · Cited by 249 · see citing works
Understanding the food choice process of adolescents in the context of family and friends
Contento, I. R., Williams, S. S., Michela, J. L., & Franklin, A. B. (2006) · Journal of Adolescent Health · doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2005.05.025 · Cited by 225 · see citing works
Harnack, L. J., & French, S. A. (2008) · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · doi:10.1186/1479-5868-5-51 · Cited by 222 · see citing works
Time preference, time discounting, and smoking decisions
Khwaja, A., Silverman, D. P., & Sloan, F. A. (2007) · Journal of Health Economics · doi:10.1016/j.jhealeco.2007.02.004 · Cited by 222 · see citing works
Consumers May Not Use or Understand Calorie Labeling in Restaurants
Krukowski, R. A., Harvey‐Berino, J., Kolodinsky, J., Narsana, R. T., & DeSisto, T. P. (2006) · Journal of the American Dietetic Association · doi:10.1016/j.jada.2006.03.005 · Cited by 142 · see citing works
Yamamoto, J. A., Yamamoto, J. B., Yamamoto, B. E., & Yamamoto, L. G. (2005) · Journal of Adolescent Health · doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2004.10.002 · Cited by 136 · see citing works
Cigarette smoking and self-control.
Kan, K.-H. (2007) · Journal of Health Economics · doi:10.1016/j.jhealeco.2006.07.002 · Cited by 107 · see citing works
Evidence-based health promotion
Tilford, S. (2000) · Health Education Research · doi:10.1093/her/15.6.659 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
Could Behavioral Economics Help Improve Diet Quality for Nutrition Assistance Program Participants?
Just, D. R., Mancino, L., & Wansink, B. (2007) · PsycEXTRA Dataset · doi:10.1037/e667842007-001 · Cited by 85 · see citing works
Assessing the Feasibility and Impact of Federal Childhood Obesity Policies
Brescoll, V. L., Kersh, R., & Brownell, K. D. (2008) · The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science · doi:10.1177/0002716207309189 · Cited by 78 · see citing works
Self-citationObesity Prevention in the Information Age
Berman, M., & Lavizzo‐Mourey, R. J. (2008) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.300.4.433 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
A multi-component intervention for modifying food selections in a worksite cafeteria
Mayer, J. A., Brown, T., Heins, J. M., & Bishop, D. B. (1987) · Journal of Nutrition Education · doi:10.1016/s0022-3182(87)80235-2 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
Poverty and Cultural Diversity: Challenges for Health Promotion Among the Medically Underserved
Kerner, J. F., Dusenbury, L., & Mandelblatt, J. S. (1993) · Annual Review of Public Health · doi:10.1146/annurev.pu.14.050193.002035 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
Effects of Visual Presentation of Caloric Values on Food Buying by Normal and Obese Persons
Milich, R. S., Anderson, J., & Mills, M. (1976) · Perceptual and Motor Skills · doi:10.2466/pms.1976.42.1.155 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Balfour, D. S., Moody, R. R., Wise, A., & Brown, K. (1996) · Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics · doi:10.1046/j.1365-277x.1996.00452.x · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Behavioral Economics, Food Assistance, and Obesity
Just, D. R. (2006) · Agricultural and Resource Economics Review · doi:10.1017/s1068280500006675 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Health promotion for low-income minority groups: the challenge for nutrition education
Nestle, M., & Cowell, C. (1990) · Health Education Research · doi:10.1093/her/5.4.527 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Food Choice and Eating Behavior Among Obese, Lean, and Normal Individuals
Cinciripini, P. M. (1984) · Behavior Modification · doi:10.1177/01454455840083008 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Fast-Food Lawsuits and the Cheeseburger Bill: Critiquing Congress's Response to the Obesity EpidemicPreprint
Burnett, D. G. (2006) · SSRN Electronic Journal · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Global health 2035: a world converging within a generation
Jamison, D. T., Summers, L. H., Alleyne, G., Arrow, K. J., Berkley, S., Binagwaho, A., Bustreo, F., Evans, D., Feachem, R. G. A., Frenk, J., et al. (2013) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(13)62105-4 · Cited by 1,220 · see citing works
Mozaffarian, D., Afshin, A., Benowitz, N. L., Bittner, V., Daniels, S. R., Franch, H. A., Jacobs, D. R., Kraus, W. E., Kris-Etherton, P. M., Krummel, D. A., et al. (2012) · Circulation · doi:10.1161/cir.0b013e318260a20b · Cited by 601 · see citing works
Obesity: Overview of an Epidemic
Mitchell, N. S., Catenacci, V. A., Wyatt, H. R., & Hill, J. O. (2011) · Psychiatric Clinics of North America · doi:10.1016/j.psc.2011.08.005 · Cited by 526 · see citing works
A 2-Phase Labeling and Choice Architecture Intervention to Improve Healthy Food and Beverage Choices
Thorndike, A. N., Sonnenberg, L., Riis, J., Barraclough, S., & Levy, D. E. (2012) · American Journal of Public Health · doi:10.2105/ajph.2011.300391 · Cited by 405 · see citing works
Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Impact of Restaurant Menu Calorie Labeling
Long, M. W., Tobias, D. K., Cradock, A. L., Batchelder, H., & Gortmaker, S. L. (2015) · American Journal of Public Health · doi:10.2105/ajph.2015.302570 · Cited by 257 · see citing works
How Package Design and Packaged‐based Marketing Claims Lead to Overeating
Chandon, P. (2013) · Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy · doi:10.1093/aepp/pps028 · Cited by 249 · see citing works
Dumanovsky, T., Huang, C. Y., Bassett, M. T., & Silver, L. D. (2010) · American Journal of Public Health · doi:10.2105/ajph.2010.191908 · Cited by 125 · see citing works
What's on the menu? A review of the energy and nutritional content of US chain restaurant menus
Wu, H. W., & Sturm, R. (2013) · Public Health Nutrition · doi:10.1017/s136898001200122x · Cited by 108 · see citing works
Dodds, P., Wolfenden, L., Chapman, K., Wellard, L., Hughes, C., & Wiggers, J. (2014) · Appetite · doi:10.1016/j.appet.2013.10.013 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
Nutrition Labels Decrease Energy Intake in Adults Consuming Lunch in the Laboratory
Temple, J. L., Johnson, K., Recupero, K., & Suders, H. (2010) · Journal of the American Dietetic Association · doi:10.1016/j.jada.2010.04.006 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
Calorie Changes in Large Chain Restaurants
Bleich, S. N., Wolfson, J. A., & Jarlenski, M. P. (2016) · American Journal of Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2015.05.007 · Cited by 60 · see citing works
Stein, K. (2010) · Journal of the American Dietetic Association · doi:10.1016/j.jada.2010.07.017 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Namba, A., Auchincloss, A., Leonberg, B. L., & Wootan, M. G. (2013) · Preventing Chronic Disease · doi:10.5888/pcd10.120224 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Dietary Policies to Reduce Non‐Communicable Diseases
Afshin, A., Micha, R., Khatibzadeh, S., Schmidt, L. A., & Mozaffarian, D. (2014) · The Handbook of Global Health Policy · doi:10.1002/9781118509623.ch9 · Cited by 54 · see citing works
Changes in the Energy and Sodium Content of Main Entrées in US Chain Restaurants from 2010 to 2011
Wu, H. W., & Sturm, R. (2014) · Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics · doi:10.1016/j.jand.2013.07.035 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
Legal regulation of health-related behavior: A half-century of public health law research
Burris, S., & Anderson, E. (2013) · Annual Review of Law and Social Science · doi:10.1146/annurev-lawsocsci-102612-134011 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Societal correlates of diabetes prevalence: an analysis across 94 countries
Siegel, K. R., Echouffo-Tcheugui, J. B., Ali, M. K., Mehta, N. K., Narayan, K. M., & Chetty, V. (2012) · Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice · doi:10.1016/j.diabres.2011.11.014 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
- Authors
- Elbel, B., Kersh, R., Brescoll, V. L., & Dixon, L. B.
- Affiliations
- New York University (US)
- Venue
- Health Affairs
- Publisher
- Health Affairs Publishing, LLC
- Published
- 2009-01
- Volume
- 28
- Issue
- Supplement 1
- Pages
- w1110-w1121
- ISSN
- 0278-2715 (ISSN-L)
- 1544-5208
- OpenAlex
- W2131439715
- Cited by
- 496
- References
- 34
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 30 · 2019: 25 · 2018: 21 · 2017: 37 · 2016: 36 · 2015: 54 · 2014: 52 · 2013: 60 · 2012: 44
- FWCI
- 36.13
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Health Affairs (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Consumer Attitudes and Food Labeling
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior
- Keywords
- low-income populations, obesity policy, food purchasing, minority groups, Newark, New Jersey
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Attitude to Health, Energy Intake, Choice Behavior, Female, Food Labeling, Food Preferences, Humans, Male, New York City, Nutrition Surveys, Obesity, Poverty, Restaurants, Government Regulation, Fast Foods
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
