Nutritional Information on Restaurant Menus

Abstract

Obesity is a challenging public-health problem worldwide and policy-makers are continually seeking for relatively lowcost but broad-reaching policy interventions which could influence consumer choice and prevent serious health effects. Through the implementation of menu labelling, the catering sector could be a stakeholder in promoting healthy diets and combating obesity. Although regulations about menu labelling have been set in several countries, posting nutritional information on menus is still in its infancy in the rest of the world. Evidence of the influence of menu labelling on calorie intake is mixed due to heterogeneity among studies (laboratory’s real-settings; cross-sectional v/s interventional, etc.). The format of nutrition information also plays a role in the efficacy of its usage among consumers (sole calorie labelling or additional nutrition information). Future research should focus on the behaviour of the restaurant industry, on testing various label formats for different populations and on the labelling of particular health-related components.