The influence of cognitive bias on the use of menu nutritional information among consumers in Mahikeng local municipality, South Africa

The provision of nutritional information on menus has been found to have a disparate effect on consumers’ behaviour. Numerous explanations have been offered to rationalise consumers' failure to incorporate new information during decision-making in developed countries and not much information is availed on the developing world. This study investigates the effect of nutritional information provision on consumers in South Africa, a country that is experiencing increases in the consumption of food-away-from-home and lifestyle-related diseases at rates as worrying as those experienced in developed countries. The study utilised Endogenous Treatment Poisson regression analysis to compare the changes in intended behaviour before and after the provision of nutritional information on typical fast-food meals. The study’s results showed that the provision of information on the calorie content of meals had a significant influence on intended consumption behaviour. Cognitive bias was observed as consumers then ignored other nutritional information in decision-making. The results illustrate an anchoring effect on the use of calorie information and white-hat bias on the use of fat content information. The study recommends that efforts be made to increase consumer education on how to integrate various information in decision-making and raise awareness that members of the public can request healthier food with lower quantities of fat.