Calorie counts on restaurant menus were supposed to make eating out healthier. But new research from England suggests the impact may be smaller than hoped.
A study published in BMJ Public Health found that food and drink chains reduced the average calorie content of their menu items by just 2% after calorie labeling became mandatory in 2022. The small drop came mostly from replacing higher-calorie foods with slightly lighter options, rather than changing existing recipes.
Researchers said the policy aims to improve public health by helping consumers make more informed choices when eating out, but the findings suggest that most businesses responded by updating menus rather than reformulating foods.
The study analyzed more than 31,000 menu items from 78 food chains, comparing offerings before and after the policy took effect. On average, new menu items contained 9 fewer kilocalories than those available the year before. Some categories, such as burgers, saw reductions of about 103 kilocalories (11%), while non-alcoholic drinks dropped by 36 kilocalories (16.5%).
Restaurants, pubs and entertainment venues showed the biggest average decreases per item, while other food groups, like pizzas and mains, stayed largely the same. Importantly, items that remained on menus from year to year showed no change at all in calorie content, indicating little evidence of reformulation.
Before the policy, menu items averaged 437 kilocalories each; afterward, they averaged 439 kilocalories among items that stayed the same. That means most of the calorie reduction came from removing higher-calorie dishes, not changing how foods were made.
The researchers also found that 22% of items still exceeded 600 kilocalories, the recommended limit for a single meal. Burgers, mains and pizzas were the most likely to go over that threshold.
The team concluded that the small reduction in calories available on menus is likely to have only a modest effect on population health. To make a meaningful difference, consumers would need to choose lower-calorie items more often, not just see them listed.
The findings suggest that while labeling may nudge restaurants and customers toward awareness, meaningful changes in public health likely require stronger incentives and broader policy efforts.
This study was funded by the NIHR Policy Research Programme: Implementation and assessment of mandatory kcal labelling in the out-of-home sector.