Calorie labels on takeaway menus fail to affect consumer choice

The British Dietetic Association (BDA) calls on the food industry to improve recipes, reduce portion sizes and prioritise healthier options, alongside calorie labelling

Consumers rarely consider calorie labels on takeaway menus when choosing, and having this information to hand is unlikely to motivate them to make healthier choices, a new study of people living in England has revealed.

The study found 77% of the 1,040 adults surveyed did not notice any calorie information during their most recent online takeaway purchase; of those that did, 71% said it did not affect their food choices.

Laura Cornelsen, Associate Professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, who led the study, said we all have different motivations when buying takeaways: “A lot of people might buy takeaways for a treat or convenience, so taste, value for money and delivery time are more likely to be the deciding factors, and the amount of calories or healthiness might not be priorities.”

Dr Cherry Law, Food Economist at the University of Reading and co-author said: "While awareness of calorie labelling rules is quite high, most people don't notice the information when ordering online, and even when they do it rarely changes what they choose. The takeaway message is that we need strategies that reflect what people care about when eating out, as calorie information alone is not enough."

An estimated 63% of adults in England are overweight or living with obesity and calorie labelling has been compulsory for large ‘out of home’ food businesses since April 2022. This requires menus to display each food’s calorie content, alongside the suggested daily calorie intake – around 2000kcal.

Cornelsen said calorie labels can encourage businesses to provide healthier options, but “aren’t necessarily the answer to reducing unhealthy eating and tackling obesity…many consumers are not taking calorie labels into account,”. This could be because only large businesses must label menu items, or because of the way the information is presented, or due to a lack of interest or knowledge on how to use it.

“Calories can be a useful tool if you understand them, but for most people, a number on a menu isn’t enough to drive meaningful behaviour change.”

Bahee Van de Bor, registered Paediatric Dietitian and British Dietetic Association (BDA) spokesperson, said: “Calories can be a useful tool if you understand them, but for most people, a number on a menu isn’t enough to drive meaningful behaviour change. Labelling assumes the consumer has both the knowledge and the motivation to act, which isn’t always the case, particularly with takeaway foods that are often chosen for convenience, cost or comfort.”

Almost half of participants ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ they would make healthier choices if alternative interventions, like traffic-light labels, or healthy options were available. Other suggestions included ‘buy one get one free’ offers on healthier dishes and better education in schools on food preparation.

However, the onus should be on the food industry, not consumers, Cornelsen said: “The focus should be on tackling systemic issues, like making it simpler and more affordable to purchase healthier options, rather than adding even more pressure to consumers and families to change their choices.”

Van de Bor agreed: “To really tackle unhealthy eating and obesity, we need action from the food industry itself, improving recipes, reducing portion sizes and making healthier options the default. Calorie labelling has a place, but it must sit alongside reformulation and wider public health measures to have an impact.”