Menu labeling at chain said ineffective

SEATTLE, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Mandatory menu labeling for restaurant chains with at 15 locations in King County, Wash., which includes Seattle, had no effect on consumers, researchers say.

Researchers at Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School and the public health department of Seattle & King County found, after 13 months, the food-purchasing behavior at the Taco Time locations in King County that labeled calories of the food was identical to that in Taco Time locations where menu boards were unchanged.

The study, published online ahead of print in the February issue of the American Journal for Preventive Medicine, finds total number of sales and average calories per transaction were unaffected by the menu labeling.

"Given the results of prior studies, we had expected the results to be small, but we were surprised that we could not detect even the slightest hint of changes in purchasing behavior as a result of the legislation," lead author Eric Finkelstein, an associate professor of health services at Duke-NUS, says in a statement. "The results suggest that mandatory menu labeling, unless combined with other interventions, may be unlikely to significantly influence the obesity epidemic."

Finkelstein says the lack of effects at Taco Time may be because the restaurant already identifies the healthier options using "Healthy Highlights" logos on the menu board.