Description: Department Seminar

Location: 368A Heady Hall

Contact Person: Katie Harris-Lagoudakis

Title: Menu Labeling and Restaurant Purchases

Abstract: The Affordable Care Act (ACA) required chain restaurants to post calorie information on menus and menu boards as of May 2018. To identify the impact of the national law, we compare the outcomes for individuals who live in areas with a local menu-labeling law predating the federal requirement to the outcomes for consumers who live in nearby areas without a menu-labeling requirement until the enactment of the federal requirement. Consumers did not change the frequency with which they visited different types of restaurants, but within fast-food restaurants, consumers purchased items with fewer calories and other nutrients.