WASHINGTON — Calorie counts are becoming more abundant on menus around the country — but do people really look at them?
A new study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that those who saw and used calorie information tripled in a three-year period.
Researchers asked 3,000 frequent restaurant diners in Washington State’s King County — which also includes Seattle — about their use and awareness of calorie postings and found that from 2008 to 2010, people who absorbed calorie information and let it influence their food choices went from 8.1 percent to 24.8 percent.
During the survey period at the beginning of 2009, restaurants in the county were required to post the calorie information on their menu.
In November 2014, the Food and Drug Administration announced rules requiring establishments that sell prepared foods and have 20 or more locations to post the calorie content of food “clearly and conspicuously” on their menus, menu boards and displays. Companies will have until November 2015 to comply.
“Significant increases in calorie information awareness and use following regulation support the population-wide value of this policy,” the researchers wrote. “However, improvements varied across race, income, and gender.”
The survey found that some patrons are more likely to take calorie information to heart. Women, patrons of fast-food chains, partnered or married individuals and high-income diners, were more likely to use and see calorie information.
They pointed out the results highlight the importance of researchers and public health officials focusing on how to best inform the groups that seem not interested in restaurant calorie information, such as those with limited knowledge on nutrition, minority populations and those with less money to spend.
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