Labels on fast food menus shift customer choices
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Researchers in the United States asked over 10,000 adults to order from a simulated fast-food menu to test how climate information affects their choices.
The study participants were representative of the US population in terms of age, gender, race, education, and ethnicity. The researchers presented different labels alongside menu items, some showed a QR code, while others displayed climate grades, environmental costs in dollars, or warnings about high climate impact.
Participants who saw a climate grade or a “high climate impact” label selected high-emission food items less often than those who only saw a QR code. The team also measured the nutritional value of the meals chosen, finding no significant difference between groups, meaning people didn’t necessarily choose less healthy options when making environmentally conscious decisions.
While the environmental cost label did not significantly change choices, the climate grade plus scale and the simple “high climate impact” label were the most effective at reducing selections of high-emission foods. The study took place online, and participants only selected one item, which may limit how well the results translate to real-world fast-food restaurants.
However, the researchers suggest that even small changes in individual choices, across the roughly one-third of US adults who eat fast food daily, could lead to a significant reduction in overall environmental impact.
