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The Effect of Restaurant Menu Labeling on Consumer’s Choice: Evidence from a Choice Experiment Involving Eye-Tracking

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  • Zaffou, Madiha
  • Campbell, Benjamin

Abstract

Eating away from home has been noted to be a contributor to the rising obesity epidemic in the U.S. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced plans to require calorie information to certain food retail establishments. However, the effectiveness of such a requirement has been found to be mixed with the literature. The objective of this paper was to understand the role of various nutritional labels (i.e. calorie, percent daily intake, and traffic light signals) on food choice at both sit down and fast food establishments. Our results indicate that participants in the price only treatment chose meals with higher caloric content from both sit down and fast food menus. However, we find that calorie only information provides the largest reduction in calories in a meal from a sit down menu, but percent daily intake in conjunction with calorie information provides the largest reduction in calories for a fast food menu. Further, via eye tracking technology we find that participants looked at the nutritional information similarly across treatments.

Suggested Citation

  • Zaffou, Madiha & Campbell, Benjamin, 2015. "The Effect of Restaurant Menu Labeling on Consumer’s Choice: Evidence from a Choice Experiment Involving Eye-Tracking," 2015 AAEA & WAEA Joint Annual Meeting, July 26-28, San Francisco, California 206194, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:aaea15:206194
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.206194
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Roberto, C.A. & Larsen, P.D. & Agnew, H. & Baik, J. & Brownell, K.D., 2010. "Evaluating the impact of menu labeling on food choices and intake," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 100(2), pages 312-318.
    2. Bryan Bollinger & Phillip Leslie & Alan Sorensen, 2011. "Calorie Posting in Chain Restaurants," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 3(1), pages 91-128, February.
    3. Ellison, Brenna D. & Lusk, Jayson L. & Davis, David W., 2012. "The Value and Cost of Restaurant Calorie Labels: Results from a Field Experiment," 2012 AAEA/EAAE Food Environment Symposium 123529, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
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    Keywords

    Agricultural and Food Policy; Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety; Health Economics and Policy;
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