Unintended consequences of public health policies spark debate on their impact on vulnerable populations. Study: Does menu calorie labelling cause or exacerbate eating disorders? Image Credit: Krakenimages.com / Shutterstock An article published in the International Journal of Obesity describes the impact of menu calorie labeling on the potential exacerbation of eating disorder symptoms in people living with eating disorders.
Background In April 2022, the UK government developed a policy for the Out of Home Food Sector to control the ever-increasing prevalence of obesity. This policy mandated that all larger restaurants and cafes with more than 250 employees include calorie information on their menus. The policy was implemented to help the public make healthier dietary decisions.
This legislation covered all unpackaged foods and non-alcoholic drinks, while alcoholic drinks above 1.2% ABV (alcohol by volume) and food items only on a menu for 30 days of the year or less were exempt. Previously, mandatory calorie labeling on menus had been introduced in the United States, Canada, and Australia in 2018 and 2019.
Existing evidence indicates that calorie labeling only modestly impacts the calorie-ordering behavior of consumers. It has also been observed that calorie labeling is significantly associated with a reduction in calorie content per dish, which might be due to its impact on product reformulation. 79% of the UK general population supports the inclusion of calorie informatio.