Impact of Different Menu-Labeling Formats on Food Preferences

초록

This study focused on respondents’ preferences to various restaurant menu labels (including those that feature calorie-only information, healthy symbols in conjunction with calorie information, the Weight Watchers icon plus calorie data, and star ratings in conjunction with calorie information) to understand the influence of menu labeling on preferences for healthful and unhealthful food items. We also investigated whether restaurant patrons’ body mass indexes (BMI; obese/overweight versus under-/normal weight) moderated the effects of menu labeling on changes in likelihood to order a particular meal type. An online survey was conducted among U.S. participants (N = 273), who were randomly assigned to a 4 × 2 between-subjects design. The results of our study showed that posting calorie counts with icons by popularity (i.e., star ratings plus calorie information) had the potential to increase the likelihood of participants’ ordering nutritious items. However, when calorie information alone was shown, compared to other labeling options, customer preference for unhealthful menu items was demonstrated to be at its highest. The BMI of participants was found to moderate the effects of various menu-labeling formats on the likelihood of preferring only healthful foods.

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