Dive Summary:
- Researchers at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill School of Medicine conducted a survey of 802 consumers who were presented one of four menus at random — one listed calories, another listed calories plus the physical activity it would take to burn them off, only listed how much physical activity was needed to burn off the menu items' calories and the last one had no nutritional information whatsoever.
- On average, test subjects who used the menu with no nutritional facts ordered 1,020 calories of food; subjects who used the calorie-only menu ordered 927 calories of food; subjects who used the calorie plus physical activity information menu ordered 916 calories of food; and those who used the physical activity-only menu ordered 826 calories of food.
- UNC researchers are optimistic about their findings' impact on the future of food labeling and are trying to work with the UNC cafeteria to further test their idea.
From the article:
"New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s campaign to limit sugary drinks is losing juice, but an idea the city has used to convey caloric information about these beverages might actually have legs. Public awareness posters used by the campaign showed the number of miles a person would have to walk to burn off the calories in a 20-ounce soda, and new research suggests that physical activity–based conversions such as these can actually persuade people to make healthier choices. ..."
