Eco-labels on Restaurant Menus

NCT06584539 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 2000970
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 3,147
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this study is to determine whether eco-labels denoting more sustainable menu items improve the healthfulness of participants' entrée and appetizer selections from a restaurant menu. US adults will complete a restaurant ordering task in which they will select menu items to order from a mock restaurant menu modeled after a popular US sit-down restaurant. Participants will be randomized to a restaurant menu with or without eco-labels denoting more sustainable menu items. The investigators will record participants' selections from the menu. Participants will also answer survey questions.

Conditions

Nutrition; Food Selection; Food Preferences; Dietary Habits; Healthy Diet

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Healthfulness of participants' entrée and appetizer selections

  The study will assess the healthfulness of participants' entrée and appetizer selections as the average Ofcom Nutrient Profiling Model score of the entrees and appetizers the participants select in the restaurant ordering task. Ofcom Nutrient Profiling Model scores will be calculated for each item participants select. Items receive higher Ofcom scores when they contain lower calorie, saturated fat, sodium, and sugar density, higher protein and fiber density, and more fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts. The investigators will calculate the average score across participants' entrée and appetizer selections. The Ofcom Nutrient Profiling Model score ranges from 0 to 100, where higher scores indicate healthier products.

  Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes

Secondary Outcomes (25)

• Healthfulness of participants' restaurant selections

  Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes

• Calories selected from all items

  Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes

• Calories selected from entrees and appetizers

  Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes

• Sodium selected from all items

  Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes

• Sodium selected from entrees and appetizers

  Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes

Other Outcomes (4)

• Liking of the eco-label

  Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes

• Wanting to see the eco-label on restaurant menus

  Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes

• Label helpfulness in choosing more environmentally sustainable foods

  Through study completion, an average of 15 minutes

Study Arms (2)

Eco-labels

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will view a mock restaurant menu based on a popular US sit-down restaurant. They will be instructed to select the item or items they would like to order from the restaurant. The menu will display eco-labels next to more sustainable menu appetizers and entrees (i.e., appetizers and entrees that are in the bottom half of carbon footprints \[i.e., greenhouse gas emissions in CO2-equivalents associated with production of the item\] among appetizers and entrees).

Behavioral: Eco-Labels

Control

NO INTERVENTION

Participants will view a mock restaurant menu based on a popular US sit-down restaurant. They will be instructed to select the item or items they would like to order from the restaurant. The menus will not display eco-labels.

Interventions

Eco-Labels BEHAVIORAL

Eco-labels will be displayed next to more sustainable restaurant menu items. The labels will display an earth icon and the words "ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY."

Eco-labels

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Aged 18 years or older
• Reside in the US
• Can read and speak English

You may not qualify if:

• Under the age of 18 years
• Reside outside of the United States
• Unable to complete a survey in English

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Harvard Pilgrim Health Care: lead
• Stanford University: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute

Boston, Massachusetts, 02215-3325, United States

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Grummon AH, Zeitlin AB, Lee CJY, Collis C, Cleveland LP, Musicus AA, Petimar J. Ecolabels and the Healthfulness and Carbon Footprint of Restaurant Meal Selections: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Aug 1;8(8):e2524773. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.24773.

  PMID: 40758354 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Food Preferences; Feeding Behavior

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Behavior; Behavior, Animal

Study Officials

• Joshua Petimar, ScD

  Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Anna Grummon, PhD

  Stanford University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor, Population Medicine

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 9, 2024
• First Posted: September 5, 2024
• Study Start: September 30, 2024
• Primary Completion: October 11, 2024
• Study Completion: October 11, 2024
• Last Updated: February 21, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-02

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: SAP, ANALYTIC CODE
• Time Frame: Investigators will post IDP within 6 months of publication of manuscripts associated with the data generated in this study.
• Access Criteria: Data and code will be made publicly available.

Locations

US (1)