Researchers: Traffic Light Calorie Labels Help Cut Caloric Intake
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- If you were about to order a meal, but were then faced with a red light signal, would you hesitate?
According to research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the "stop" signal prompted some to switch to a lower calorie or healthier food option.
Researchers say adding color-coded or numeric calorie labels to an ordering system reduced the total calories ordered by 10 percent, compared to menus with no calorie information at all.
In the research, green labels signaled low calorie content, yellow labels signaled medium calorie content and red signaled high calorie content.
"Calorie labeling appears to be effective in an online environment where consumers have fewer distractions, and the simpler traffic-light labeling seems as effective as standard calorie numbers," said lead author Eric M. VanEpps, PhD.
By May 2017, the FDA said it will mandate numeric calorie labeling for restaurants, movie theaters, vending machines and food delivery services.
Several cities, including Philadelphia, have already begun to implement the mandate, researchers say.
"The similar effects of traffic light and numeric labeling suggests to us that consumers are making decisions based more on which choices seem healthier than on absolute calorie numbers," VanEpps said.
Researchers say calorie labeling overall had a stronger impact among obese participants than among non-obese participants.
"Future studies looking at different menu types and sets of participants are necessary, but this study on its own provides clear evidence that both calorie labeling methods can be effective when ordering meals online."