Toronto – Does posting calories on restaurant menu boards help Canadians make healthier food choices and possibly prevent obesity? Dietitians of Canada says yes - providing nutrition information in restaurants, including calorie and nutrient content of food served, is one step that may help promote healthier choices. However, a review of the evidence on this issue by Dietitians of Canada (DC) underscores the fact that there are no simple solutions to the complex issue of obesity prevention; a variety of approaches are needed. One such solution is to ensure that settings in which food choices are made, including restaurants and fast-food establishments, support healthy eating. Longer term evaluation of these types of labelling initiatives are needed before we can say whether providing calorie and nutrient information in these settings will affect obesity rates.

“One piece of information alone, such as calories on menus, cannot change the behaviour of a whole population but it is a step towards creating an environment that makes healthier choices easier for consumers,” says Judy Sheeshka, registered dietitian and author of the evidence review titled Does Menu Labelling Make a Difference to Consumers' Choices? “At present, research studies have been conducted in simulated restaurant environments often using ‘mock’ menus designed to include foods that are typically served in fast-food restaurants. We need more research in real-life settings and in other types of restaurants such as family-style, full service chain restaurants.”

The literature shows that it may take a combination of events to motivate some people to consider changing their nutrition behaviours. In addition to nutrition labelling, other factors affecting food choices in restaurants, such as taste and price, need to be considered. The review of existing evidence points to the need to include an evaluation component as an integral element of validating this public policy measure.

Unanswered questions identified in the DC evidence review that point to the need for more research include:

What are the impacts of menu labelling in family-style, full-service chain restaurants?
What are the gender differences in the use of menu labelling?
How do consumers interpret and use information on menu labels?
How does posting calories on restaurant menus in the style mandated in jurisdictions around North America influence obesity rates?
What is the best labelling format to grab consumers’ attention?
What impact does mandating nutrition information on restaurant menus have on menu options?
What, if any, are unintended negative effects of posting caloric information?

A copy of the complete evidence review is available here.