Calorie labels on menus and food packets encourage people to choose healthier options but only to the tune of 11 calories – the same as a single Pringle crisp.
That is the finding of a study into how effective menu listings are at prompting consumers to select less calorific food.
“Our review suggests that calorie labelling leads to a modest reduction in the calories people purchase and consume,” said Dr Gareth Hollands from the social research institute at University College London, a senior author of the findings.
Displaying calorie information in cafes, restaurants and supermarkets only leads to a reduction on average of 1.8% in the total amount of calories people consumed. That equates 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 labelling can lead to small but consistent reductions in calorie selection,” said Dr Natasha Clarke of Bath Spa University, the lead author.
Despite what she acknowledged was labels’ “modest” impact on the food bought, “the cumulative effect at a population level could make a meaningful contribution to public health”.
The researchers reached their conclusions after reviewing 25 previous studies on the subject, involving more than 10,000 people from rich countries such as the UK, France and the US. Their study is published on Friday by the Cochrane Library, a global evidence-based medicine publisher.
Large cafes, restaurants and takeaways with more than 250 staff have been obliged by English law since April 2022 to display the calorie counts 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 from labels is so small that ministers should scrap the duty on food businesses to display the information at all, the body that represents pubs and restaurants said.
“In practice, the policy has only increased costs for businesses, with many facing thousands of pounds in additional expense each year. Given these findings and the continued cost to businesses, I would urge the government to review this policy,” said Kate Nicholls, the chief executive of UKHospitality.
But the Food and Drink Federation, which represents supermarkets and food producers, said labels “help consumers understand the nutrients and calories that are in the food they’re eating [and] choose lower-calorie options which can support their longer-term health.”
However, a federation spokesperson added: “Labelling alone isn’t a silver bullet for tackling the complex issue of obesity.”
Experts are divided over how significant labels can be in tackling obesity.
“It is debatable whether such a small change would have any impact on body weight in the long term,” said Tom Sanders, a professor emeritus of nutrition and dietetics at King’s College London.
People only lose weight if they consume 200 fewer calories a day for a “prolonged” period and consumers also “get fatigue from calorie labelling in the long term”, he added.
But Amanda Daley, a professor of behavioural medicine at Loughborough University, said “calorie labelling has a role to play” in efforts to help the public make healthier eating decisions. Based on people having three meals a day, “these small amounts can add up and potentially contribute to reducing overweight in the population”.
Article by:Source – Denis Campbell Health policy editor
