Menu Labeling Regulations and Calories Purchased at Chain Restaurants

Background The federal menu labeling law will require chain restaurants to post caloric information on menus, but the impact of labeling is uncertain. Purpose The goal of the current study was to examine the effect of menu labeling on calories purchased, and secondarily, to assess self-reported awareness and use of labels. Design Single-community pre–post–post cross-sectional study. Data were collected in 2008–2010 and analyzed in 2011–2012. Setting/participants 50 sites from 10 chain restaurants in King County, Washington, selected through stratified, two-stage cluster random sampling. A total of 7325 customers participated. Eligibility criteria were: being an English speaker, aged≥14 years, and having an itemized receipt. The study population was 59% male, 76% white non-Hispanic, and 53% aged