title: The effects of calorie information on food selection and intake.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the effects of calorie labeling on food selection and intake in dieters and non-dieters, and to explore whether expectations about food healthfulness moderate these effects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were presented with a menu containing two items, a salad and a pasta dish. The menu had (a) no calorie information, (b) information that the salad was low in calories and the pasta was high in calories, (c) information that the salad was high in calories and the pasta was low in calories or (d) information that both were high in calories (study 2 only).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Calorie labels influenced food selection for dieters, but not for non-dieters. Dieters were more likely to order salad when the salad was labeled as low in calories and more likely to order pasta, even high-calorie pasta, when the salad was labeled as high in calories. Participants who chose high-calorie foods over low-calorie foods did not eat less in response to calorie information, although non-dieters reduced their intake somewhat when calorie labels were put in the context of recommended daily calories.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that the rush to provide calorie information may not prove to be the best approach to fighting the obesity epidemic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. laura.girz@utoronto.ca
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Girz
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Polivy
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Herman
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D005515:Food Labeling / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D005518:Food Preferences; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008612:Menu Planning; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012147:Restaurants / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D055815:Young Adult