Impact of Menu Labeling on Adolescents in Four Diverse Los Angeles Communities

Background: The 2010 Federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act mandates that fast food/chain restaurants with over 19 outlets clearly display calorie content of all menu items. The impact of calorie menu labeling on adolescents is unclear, especially when comparing communities with significant differences in rates of overweight/obesity and access to healthy food choices.

Methods: Venue exit surveys assessed the impact of menu labeling on adolescent consumers of two fast food chain restaurants in four diverse socio-demographic Los Angeles County communities – East Los Angeles (ELA) South Los Angeles (SLA), Culver City (CC) and Manhattan Beach (MB).

 Key Results:  The majority of respondents ate fast food ≥ once a week (ELA- 80%, SLA 88%, MB & CC - >95%); 57% considered the purchase a snack between meals. Over half (56%) noticed menu labeling though 15% found the information confusing. Noticing information was similar among gender and by venue, however, females’ orders were more likely to be influenced by the information, though females found it more confusing than males. Overall, 12% noticing calorie information were influenced enough to make order changes. Nearly18% of respondents reported not knowing how many calories they should eat daily (range: 200-16,000; mean: 1,498). When asked about weight, 21% of males and 38% of females reported being slightly overweight or overweight.

 Discussion: Calorie postings does not appear to significantly impact purchasing behavior. Limited knowledge of appropriate calorie intake likely impacts the meaning of posted calories. More calorie education and clearer posting is needed to adequately inform consumers.