No evidence that physical activity calorie-equivalent labelling changes food purchasing

PACE labels alongside menus Credit: University of Cambridge Workplace cafeteria study finds no evidence that physical activity calorie-equivalent labelling changes food purchasing An experiment carried out across ten workplace cafeterias found no significant change in the overall number of calories purchased when food and drink labels showed the amount of physical activity required to burn off their calories. The findings suggest that physical activity calorie-equivalent labels, contrary to expectations, may have little or no impact on the food people buy in worksite cafeterias Theresa Marteau More than three in five UK adults are overweight or obese, increasing their risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cancer. A major factor that contributes to this is excess energy intake - in other words, eating too many calories. Measures that can help reduce energy intake could help tackle the obesity problem. In the UK, adults eat as many as a third of their meals out of home, including in workplace cafeterias, and these meals are often much higher in calories than meals eaten at home. Since April 2022 calorie labelling is now required on food and drink served out of the home in businesses employing 250 or more people. While many people welcome this information, evidence for its effectiveness in reducing calories purchased or consumed is limited in quantity and quality.