Calories on restaurant menus 'have no meaningful decrease in consumption’

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Calorie labelling in restaurants and cafes has not resulted in customers choosing healthier meals, a study suggests. The Government introduced mandatory calorie labelling in England for businesses that serve food in April 2022 as part of its national obesity strategy, with the aim of helping diners make healthier choices.

However a new study led by researchers from the University of Liverpool found that while the policy has increased customer awareness of calories in food, it has not had a substantial effect on consumption.

The study used customer surveys taken in 330 food outlets across England, covering cafes, fast food restaurants, pubs and sit-down restaurants, both before and after mandatory calorie labelling was introduced. READ MORE: New weight loss drug 'burns energy and lowers appetite – without nausea and vomiting' More than 6,500 customers provided information about their calorie consumption, their awareness and use of calorie information and their understanding of the amount of calories in their meals.

The study, published in Nature Human Behaviour, found “no meaningful decrease” in the number of calories bought or consumed after mandatory labelling was introduced.