Even With Calorie Info, People Still Choose Unhealthy Foods

By Geoff Michaels, April 20th, 2013 | Health | 0 Comments

A study has found that even when consumers are made aware of calorie information and nutritional facts, they still are likely to choose junk food over more healthy options on the menu of restaurants and fast food establishments. A study looked at just how calorie information would impact the eating habits of Americans, and was led by Eric Finkelstein of Duke National University and the Singapore Graduate Medical School.

Researchers focused on a food restaurant that was called Taco Time in King County, Washington. The idea behind the study was to see if putting calorie information and other nutritional information on the menu boards would have any impact on the sales of certain food items.

What researchers found unfortunately is that there was no change in behavior of consumers with or without the nutritional facts being made available. Sales of even the highest-calorie foods on the menu were virtually the same when the calorie information was available and when it was not.

This research suggests that forcing nutritional facts to be placed on menus will not actually influence consumers in any significant way. The hope was that this practice would help fight obesity in the U.S., but according to this study, it may not help all that much.