Do Menu Calorie Counts Make A Difference? Studies Raise Questions

By Lauran Neergaard, AP Medical Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Tracking calories at chain restaurants is supposed to become easier next year, but new studies raise questions about whether the counts actually make a difference for diners and eateries. Some restaurants already post calorie counts. New York City was first in the country to require it, and six years later researchers say seeing the caloric consequences didn’t automatically lead to leaner choices. CBS This Morning: Restaurants Offer Healthier Choices As Nutrition Label Deadline Nears New York University researchers used receipts and surveys at McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC and Wendy’s to track customer purchases. In New York City where menus were labeled, calories averaged between 804 and 839 per meal, essentially the same as the 802 to 857 calories at fast-food locations in New Jersey that didn’t post calorie content. Beginning in December 2016, chain restaurants and certain other retailers that sell prepared food will have to list calorie content on their menus. As to whether consumers will take notice, researchers reported Monday that just over a third of customers noticed calorie counts on the chains’ menus last year, compared with about half when the law took effect in 2008, and 9 percent claimed to use them to order fewer calories. There may be greater effect at different kinds of restaurants, cautioned associate professor Brian Elbel of NYU Langone Medical Center. A second study, al...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Local News Calories Restaurants Source Type: news