210812 Impact of nutrition labels on customers of fast food and coffee chains in Seattle/King County

Monday, November 9, 2009: 11:10 AM

Nadine L. Chan, PhD, MPH , Assessment, Policy Development, and Evaluation, Public Health - Seattle and King County, Seattle, WA
Barbara Bruemmer, PhD, RD , Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
David Solet, PhD , Assessment, Policy Development, and Evaluation, Public Health - Seattle and King County, Seattle, WA
Brian E. Saelens, PhD , Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
James Krieger, MD, MPH , Prevention, Public Health - Seattle and King County, Seattle, WA
Background: Point of purchase nutrition information may help all restaurant customers, especially those who frequent chain restaurants, make healthier choices. However, the effectiveness of such policies is largely unknown. Seattle/King County (SKC) implemented a policy requiring chain restaurants to post nutrition labels (calorie, sodium, carbohydrate, and saturated fat) at the point of purchase. Unlike similar policies elsewhere, SKC restaurants have several options (e.g. menu board, sign in queue, sign adjacent menu board, pamphlet) for where to place labels. Also, restaurants are only required to label items listed on the menu. For example, food-tagged items in display cases need not be labeled.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of nutrition labels on fast food customers using a pre-post natural experiment design.

Methods: We are collecting customer surveys and sales receipts (n=2500) at 50 randomly selected restaurants representing 10 fast food and coffee chains before and after the January 2009 enforcement date. Half the sample are from low-income, ethnically diverse areas.

Results: We will present results describing changes in average calories purchased; awareness and use of nutrition labels; and customer knowledge about daily caloric needs. We will also describe any differences between customers of chains in lower income, more ethnically diverse areas compared to other areas. Finally, we will explore variations in label placement and its impact on customers.

Conclusion: Our evaluation will fill a knowledge gap regarding the impact of point-of-purchase nutrition labeling at fast food restaurants and thereby inform others considering such policies.

Learning Objectives:
1. To differentiate the Seattle/King County chain restaurant nutrition labeling policy from other menu labeling policies. 2. To describe the impact of restaurant nutrition labels on customers of fast food chains. 3. To describe any differences in impact between customers of chains in lower income, more ethnically diverse areas compared to other areas in King County.

Keywords: Nutrition, Public Health Policy

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have 10+ years of education and expertise in public health and cancer prevention research and I have managed this research project since 2008.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Chain restaurant nutrition labeling: Implementation and Evaluation in New York City, Portland/Multnomah County & Seattle/King County
See more of: Food and Nutrition