To see or not to see: Do calorie postings at fast food establishments assist patrons in making healthy food choices?

Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Calorie postings are important to assist consumers in making healthy food choices. Recently-passed California legislation mandated restaurants to post calorie information on menu boards. Using a natural setting, the present study sought to examine the effects of such postings on actual food purchases. METHODS: Survey data and matched purchase receipts were collected at a fast food restaurant located in a predominately African-American community in Los Angeles. Data were collected in two waves, before (wave 1, n=218) and after (wave 2, n=191) calories postings appeared on menu boards. RESULTS: Participants at wave 1 consumed fast food 3.50 times within the past week, and ordered an average of 838.78 calories. Wave 2 participants consumed fast food 3.93 within the past week, and ordered an average of 723.08 calories. The majority of participants at both waves were not accurate in their calories estimations of their purchases. Two-thirds did not notice postings at wave 1, whereas at wave 2 almost three-fourths of the participants noticed postings. At both waves, participants who noticed postings purchased approximately the same number of calories as participants who did not noticed postings. Noticing postings did not significantly impact the total number of calories ordered. Self-reported BMI and health ratings were also collected at wave 2. Regression models were conducted on both waves, predicting total number of calories ordered. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that calorie postings on menu boards may not have a strong influence on purchasing behaviors, or help patrons recognize and make healthy food and beverage choices.