Are Calorie Counts on Menus Helping People in Rochester Lose Weight?

Back in May we reported about new requirements being enforced by the FDA. The rules called for for chain restaurants with 20 or more locations to post calorie counts on all menu items including beverages. This obviously affected a lot of restaurants in Rochester but have the new menus impacted ordering habits?

According to a new study, the addition of nutritional information has changed what people select off of menus. Researcher, John Cawley, studied the dining habits of over 5,500 diners and found the calorie info led to customers ordering 3% fewer calories. 3% isn't enough to truly make a difference, but it's a start. Healthy choices combined with exercise will help people lose weight.

The findings were published in the National Bureau of Economic Research.

And this article from UPI says restaurant revenue has not declined, "despite long-voiced industry concerns that calorie counts might undermine a food establishment's bottom line."

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