The Impact of Information Disclosure on Consumer Behavior: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment of Calorie Labels on Restaurant Menus

Cawley, John; Susskind, Alex M.; Willage, Barton

doi:10.1002/pam.22219

Cited by 35 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Before proceeding, it is interesting to note that our estimated effects for changes in BMI are significantly lower than what would be predicted based upon experimental estimates of calorie labels on calories consumed at restaurants (Wisdom et al, 2010;VanEpps et al, 2016;Cawley et al, 2018). For comparison, Wisdom et al (2010) find that including calories and daily calorie recommendations on menus in a fast-food restaurant decreased the amount of calories ordered in a meal by 99 calories, which is predicted to decrease BMI by 0.75 kg/m 2 within one year.…”

Section: Effects On Body Mass Indexmentioning

confidence: 61%

“…VanEpps et al (2016) find that including calories on online menus for a large corporate cafeteria led to a 60 calorie reduction in the number of calories ordered, which is predicted to decrease BMI by 0.47 kg/m 2 within one year. Cawley et al (2018) find that including calories on the menu in a full-service restaurant reduced the number of calories ordered by 45 calories, which is predicted to decrease BMI by 0.35 kg/m 2 within one year. 32…”

Section: Effects On Body Mass Indexmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…,VanEpps et al (2016),and Cawley et al (2018); the baseline height in each sample; and the result inHall et al (2011) that a decrease of 10 calories per day will eventually lead to weight loss of one pound, with half of the weight change occurring within one year.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…9 Based on correspondence with local officials, King County actively enforced the mandate between January 2009 and May 2010, Vermont did not actively enforce the mandate through inspection but instead reacted to customer complaints about a lack of calories on the menu, and Albany County stopped enforcement six months after the law was implemented. 10 A related literature, using laboratory and field experiments, suggests that providing nutritional information can affect meal decisions (e.g.,Burton et al, 2006;Roberto et al, 2010;Wisdom et al, 2010;Ellison et al, 2013;Bedard and Kuhn, 2015;VanEpps et al, 2016;Cawley et al, 2018).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Chain Restaurant Calorie Posting Laws, Obesity, and Consumer Welfare

Courtemanche¹,

Frisvold²,

Jimenez-Gomez³

et al. 2020

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We thank Chelsea Crain and Abigail Kappelman for research assistance. We thank Melissa Haberlin for her legal expertise and assistance interpreting local and state calorie mandate legislation. We thank participants from numerous seminars and conferences for helpful comments. We acknowledge funding from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under award number R01DK107686. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health or the National Bureau of Economic Research. NBER working papers are circulated for discussion and comment purposes. They have not been peer-reviewed or been subject to the review by the NBER Board of Directors that accompanies official NBER publications.

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Section: Effects On Body Mass Indexmentioning

confidence: 61%

Section: Effects On Body Mass Indexmentioning

confidence: 90%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Chain Restaurant Calorie Posting Laws, Obesity, and Consumer Welfare

Courtemanche¹,

Frisvold²,

Jimenez-Gomez³

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Put differently, someone or something must communicate the message to the audience. Further, the importance of information in consumer choice is well-studied in economics (Stigler, 1961;Arrow, 1963;Akerlof, 1970;Spence, 1973;Cawley, Susskind, & Willage, 2018). This question is particularly relevant in an emerging market such as the market for e-cigarettes as it can offer insight on the agents most likely to shape future consumer demand and the associated health implications.…”

Section: Background and Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Information Source and Cigarettes: Experimental Evidence on the Messenger Effect

Maclean

Buckell

Marti

2019

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Assessment of Calories Purchased After Calorie Labeling of Prepared Foods in a Large Supermarket Chain

et al. 2022

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IMPORTANCE Calorie labels for prepared (ie, ready-to-eat) foods are required in large chain food establishments in the US. Large evaluations in restaurants suggest small declines in purchases of prepared foods after labeling, but to the authors' knowledge, no studies have examined how this policy influences supermarket purchases.OBJECTIVE To estimate changes in calories purchased from prepared foods and potential packaged substitutes compared with control foods after calorie labeling of prepared foods in supermarkets. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTSThis controlled interrupted time series compared sales 2 years before labeling implementation (April 2015-April 2017) with sales 7 months after labeling implementation (May 2017-December 2017). Data from 173 supermarkets from a supermarket chain with locations in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont were analyzed from March 2020 to May 2022. INTERVENTION Implementation of calorie labeling of prepared foods in April 2017.MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Purchased items were classified as prepared foods, potential packaged substitutes for prepared foods, or all other (ie, control) foods. The primary outcome was mean weekly calories per transaction purchased from prepared foods, and the secondary outcome was mean weekly calories per transaction purchased from similar packaged items (for substitution analyses). Analyses of prepared and packaged foods were stratified by food category (bakery, entrées and sides, or deli meats and cheeses). RESULTS Among the included 173 supermarkets, calorie labeling was associated with a mean 5.1% decrease (95% CI, −5.8% to −4.4%) in calories per transaction purchased from prepared bakery items and an 11.0% decrease (95% CI, −11.9% to −10.1%) from prepared deli items, adjusted for changes in control foods; no changes were observed for prepared entrées and sides (change = 0.3%; 95% CI, −2.5% to 3.0%). Labeling was also associated with decreased calories per transaction purchased from packaged bakery items (change = −3.9%; 95% CI, −4.3% to −3.6%), packaged entrées and sides (change = −1.2%; 95% CI, −1.4% to −0.9%), and packaged deli items (change = −2.1%; 95% CI, −2.4% to −1.7%). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCEIn this longitudinal study of supermarkets, calorie labeling of prepared foods was associated with small to moderate decreases in calories purchased from prepared bakery and deli items without evidence of substitution to similar packaged foods.

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The Impact of Information Disclosure on Consumer Behavior: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment of Calorie Labels on Restaurant Menus

Cited by 35 publications

References 55 publications

Chain Restaurant Calorie Posting Laws, Obesity, and Consumer Welfare

Chain Restaurant Calorie Posting Laws, Obesity, and Consumer Welfare

Information Source and Cigarettes: Experimental Evidence on the Messenger Effect

Assessment of Calories Purchased After Calorie Labeling of Prepared Foods in a Large Supermarket Chain

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