The posting of calories in restaurants and menus do not appear to give the desired results. Worse, it seems to backfire!
This emerges from a study conducted in New York City, which was the first to adopt a regulation requiring some restaurants to display caloric content of their dishes.
In reaching this conclusion, the researchers conducted a field investigation in areas of disadvantaged socio-economic development.
They followed nearly 1 200 customers in 19 restaurants belonging to 4 chains - McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King and Kentucky Fried Chicken - before and after application of the law.
Results
Only 50% of the customers noticed the signs - but prominently - displaying calories for each dish. Of these, 28% said that the panel had an influence on their command. And 88% of them said they had bought a dish with fewer calories on the display.
However, analysis of bills issued after the purchase of meals has revealed that on average, participants did not eat fewer calories before display (825 cal), even after its inception, they consumed a little more (846 cal) - a difference of 21 calories.
A measure inefficient
According to nutritionist Marie-Josée Leblanc, posting the calories on posters or in the menus is "not normally an interesting measure.
"Everything is not about calories: there are foods that have high nutritional value and contain many calories, we think of a salad with nuts and olive oil" illustrates Dr. nutrition Extenso2 attached to the portal.
Same story on the side of the Quebec Coalition on the issue of weight. "By focusing on calories, such a display removes the nutritional quality of foods, exercise more pressure on those who are overly concerned with their weight," says Suzie Pellerin, director of the agency.
She said it would be preferable to "favor a regulation or guidance that would address the contents of the plate - the quality and portion sizes - and that would provide better access to healthy food."
A matter of education and money?
The study of New York was voluntarily conducted in poor neighborhoods because there has been a greater increase in obesity in the general population.
"But the results would have been different if the experiment had been conducted in a more favored or in restaurants with more elaborate menus, shade Marie-Josée Leblanc.
"The number of calories of a food is an abstract information for many people," she agrees. Moreover, not all are able to understand the nutrition information.
"The fast food chains were the first to provide nutrition information of their products through their website, says she. It is easy to know the fiber content of a Big Mac, but will look for this information and understands it? "
Marie-Josée Leblanc goes further in its thinking. "People know that fast foods are not the best places to eat, but we must take into account other parameters in the analysis: the food is cheap and in a difficult economic environment, it is a food affordable solution, "says nutritionist.
This emerges from a study conducted in New York City, which was the first to adopt a regulation requiring some restaurants to display caloric content of their dishes.
In reaching this conclusion, the researchers conducted a field investigation in areas of disadvantaged socio-economic development.
They followed nearly 1 200 customers in 19 restaurants belonging to 4 chains - McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King and Kentucky Fried Chicken - before and after application of the law.
Results
Only 50% of the customers noticed the signs - but prominently - displaying calories for each dish. Of these, 28% said that the panel had an influence on their command. And 88% of them said they had bought a dish with fewer calories on the display.
However, analysis of bills issued after the purchase of meals has revealed that on average, participants did not eat fewer calories before display (825 cal), even after its inception, they consumed a little more (846 cal) - a difference of 21 calories.
A measure inefficient
According to nutritionist Marie-Josée Leblanc, posting the calories on posters or in the menus is "not normally an interesting measure.
"Everything is not about calories: there are foods that have high nutritional value and contain many calories, we think of a salad with nuts and olive oil" illustrates Dr. nutrition Extenso2 attached to the portal.
Same story on the side of the Quebec Coalition on the issue of weight. "By focusing on calories, such a display removes the nutritional quality of foods, exercise more pressure on those who are overly concerned with their weight," says Suzie Pellerin, director of the agency.
She said it would be preferable to "favor a regulation or guidance that would address the contents of the plate - the quality and portion sizes - and that would provide better access to healthy food."
A matter of education and money?
The study of New York was voluntarily conducted in poor neighborhoods because there has been a greater increase in obesity in the general population.
"But the results would have been different if the experiment had been conducted in a more favored or in restaurants with more elaborate menus, shade Marie-Josée Leblanc.
"The number of calories of a food is an abstract information for many people," she agrees. Moreover, not all are able to understand the nutrition information.
"The fast food chains were the first to provide nutrition information of their products through their website, says she. It is easy to know the fiber content of a Big Mac, but will look for this information and understands it? "
Marie-Josée Leblanc goes further in its thinking. "People know that fast foods are not the best places to eat, but we must take into account other parameters in the analysis: the food is cheap and in a difficult economic environment, it is a food affordable solution, "says nutritionist.
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