Climate Labels for Restaurant Menus Pilot

NCT06651060 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 1641776-8C
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 16,181
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The aim of this study is to compare responses to 6 different types of labels for restaurant menus: 1) a QR code on all items (control); 2) High Climate Impact label; 3) High Climate Impact Warning label; 4) Climate Grade label; 5) Climate Grade label also displaying full range of possible grades; 6) Estimated Environmental Cost label. Participants will be randomized to 1 of these 6 labeling arms. Each participant will view a menu based on a real-world restaurant with one of the 6 labels shown on applicable menu items, select the menu item they would like, and then respond to survey questions about each label.

Conditions

Food Selection

Keywords

Sustainability; Climate change; Diet; Food choices; Food labeling

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• High climate impact menu item selected - dichotomous variable

  Measured as a dichotomous variable (yes/no) indicating whether participants' hypothetical meal orders include a high climate impact menu item.

  Up to approx. 1 minutes

• Total greenhouse gas emissions - continuous variable

  Cumulative total kilograms of carbon equivalent (kgCO2e) per kilogram of food for all meal items.

  Up to approx. 1 minute

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Modified Nutrient Profile Index (NPI) score - continuous variable

  Up to approx. 1 minute

• Total energy (kcal) selected - continuous variable

  Up to approx. 1 minute

• Total saturated fat (g) selected - continuous variable

  Up to approx. 1 minute

• Total sodium (mg) selected - continuous variable

  Up to approx. 1 minute

Other Outcomes (3)

• Noticeability - dichotomous variable

  Up to approx. 1 minute

• Support - categorical variable

  Up to approx. 1 minute

• Effectiveness - categorical variable

  Up to approx. 1 minute

Study Arms (6)

Control (QR) labels

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

Labels placed beneath all menu items will contain QR codes with the text, "scan here", without any mention of sustainability

Behavioral: Menu label

High Climate Impact labels

EXPERIMENTAL

Labels will be placed beneath menu items with a high climate impact using a predetermined threshold of estimated greenhouse gas emissions set at \>=9.2 kgCO2e. Labels will contain white text, "High Climate Impact", on a red background with a globe icon

Behavioral: Menu label

High Climate Impact Warning labels

EXPERIMENTAL

Labels will be placed beneath menu items with a high climate impact using a predetermined threshold of estimated greenhouse gas emissions set at \>=9.2 kgCO2e. Labels will contain white text, "Warning: High Climate Impact", on a red background with a globe icon

Behavioral: Menu label

Climate Grade labels

EXPERIMENTAL

Labels will be placed beneath all menu items, using predetermined estimated greenhouse gas emission thresholds to assign one of five icon-plus-text labels which indicate a specific climate impact grade (A, B, C, D, and F). Thresholds are set in kgCO2e as follows: \[A\] \<1.7, \[B\] \>=1.7 \& \<2.6, \[C\] \>=2.6 \& \<9.2, \[D\] \>=9.2 \& \<28, \[F\] \>=28. Labels shown will contain white text, "Climate Grade", on a black background with a globe icon. The labels will include a white letter in a colored box on the left side, A (dark green), B (light green), C (yellow), D (orange), or F (red)

Behavioral: Menu label

Climate Grade label also displaying full range of possible grades

EXPERIMENTAL

Labels will be placed beneath all menu items, using predetermined estimated greenhouse gas emission thresholds to assign one of five icon-plus-text labels which indicate a specific climate impact grade (A, B, C, D, and F). Thresholds are set in kgCO2e as follows: \[A\] \<1.7, \[B\] \>=1.7 \& \<2.6, \[C\] \>=2.6 \& \<9.2, \[D\] \>=9.2 \& \<28, \[F\] \>=28. Labels shown will contain white text, "Climate Grade", on a black background with a globe icon. The labels will include a white letter in a colored box on the left side, A (dark green), B (light green), C (yellow), D (orange), or F (red). This label will also include a small scale of each white letter and colored box option beneath the main white letter and colored box

Behavioral: Menu label

Estimated Environmental Cost labels

EXPERIMENTAL

Labels will be placed beneath all menu items, displaying the estimated dollar value associated with greenhouse gas emissions. Labels shown will contain white text, "Environmental Cost," with a dollar value (i.e., +$10.90) on a black background with a globe icon

Behavioral: Menu label

Interventions

Menu label BEHAVIORAL

Participants will view a sample of items from a restaurant menu, displayed with labels

Climate Grade label also displaying full range of possible grades; Climate Grade labels; Control (QR) labels; Estimated Environmental Cost labels; High Climate Impact Warning labels; High Climate Impact labels

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• years and older
• English-speaking
• U.S. residents
• Have eaten restaurant food at least once in the last month
• Participants will reflect the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey estimates for sex, race/ethnicity, educational attainment, and age

You may not qualify if:

• Non-US resident
• Younger than 18 years old
• Failing the attention check question
• Completing the survey in less than 33% of the median completion time

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of California, Davis: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of California, Davis

Davis, California, 95616, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Food Preferences

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Feeding Behavior; Behavior

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Model Details: Participants will be randomized to view a menu based on a real-world restaurant with one of six labeling schemes applied: 1) a QR code on all items (control); 2) High Climate Impact label; 3) High Climate Impact Warning label; 4) Climate Grade label; 5) Climate Grade label also displaying full range of possible grades; 6) Estimated Environmental Cost label. Menus will include main items only. Labels will only appear alongside main menu items and will be assigned using thresholds for greenhouse gas emissions set a priori in kilograms of CO2 equivalent per kilogram of food. Each participant will view a menu based on a real-world restaurant with one of the 6 labels shown on applicable menu items, select the menu item(s) they would like, then respond to survey questions about each label.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 18, 2024
• First Posted: October 21, 2024
• Study Start: December 23, 2024
• Primary Completion: February 13, 2025
• Study Completion: February 13, 2025
• Last Updated: March 21, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)