Calorie counts listed alongside menu items have had limited results.
Displaying calorie counts on menu boards at fast food outlets has little influence on the behaviour of poorer people, according to new research.
NSW introduced mandatory kilojoule labelling at fast food restaurants in 2011 and the ACT and South Australia introduced their own schemes in 2012.
Researchers from the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne reviewed 10 previous studies on the impact of menu labelling schemes on disadvantaged populations. All but one of these reported menu labelling produced no reduction in the number of foods purchased or calories consumed. Of eight studies that compared the impact of menu labelling across different socio-economic groups, four found a greater impact on wealthier people than poorer people.
“Based on the limited evidence, it seems unlikely that mandatory menu energy labelling alone will have a direct benefit in low income populations. Whether it will in fact increase socio-economic disparities in overweight and obesity is unclear and further evidence on different contexts and regions is needed,” said study author Danja Sarink, who this week presented the findings at the European Congress on Obesity in Sofia, Bulgaria.