Calorie labeling in chain restaurants and body weight : evidence from New York

Abstract

This study analyzes the impact of mandatory calorie labeling on body weight and shows that implementation of the policy caused reductions in body mass index and the probability of obesity. The analysis also uncovers evidence of heterogeneity in the policy’s impact on body weight. First, the policy had larger impacts in the upper half of the BMI distribution. Second, the impact of calorie labeling is concentrated among individuals with high propensities to eat fast food and to use nutrition information at restaurants. Heterogeneity in sensitivity to calorie information may explain the mixed evidence in previous studies on the policy’s effectiveness.