Researchers have suggested that restaurants could help tackle obesity by expanding and improving calorie listings and "healthy eating" options on their websites and mobile apps, encouraging customers to self-monitor what they eat.
The study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, analyzed the top 100 US chain restaurants' websites to assess the availability and ease of access to calorie information.
According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between 2007 and 2010, adults consumed around 11.3% of their daily caloric intake from fast food. Around one-third of the US population is obese, and previous research has shown that restaurant eating contributes to this.
The study authors say that when a person is inside a restaurant, psychological and biological responses to "in-store marketing" can encourage people to overeat.
Therefore, the researchers wanted to investigate how customers might be "better prepared" and opt for healthier menu items.
Gary Bennett, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University, says:
"If consumers wait until they enter restaurants to make purchasing decisions, it might be too late.
Particularly for those who are watching their waistlines, it is important to make plans before stepping through the restaurant doors.
That is why we were interested in understanding whether and how calorie information was available online."
Results of the analysis revealed that:
- 82% of restaurants provided calorie information on their websites
- 25% of restaurants showed calorie information on a mobile-formatted website
- 51.2% of restaurants linked their calorie information directly to the homepage
- Around 50% of restaurants highlighted "healthy eating" options
- Quick service/fast casual, larger restaurants, those with cheaper entrées, and/or lower revenue were more likely to have calorie information available.
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