Testing Non-Nutrition Menu Labels on Food Selections

Summary

The primary objective of this study is to test the relative effects of environmental harm menu label designs on the healthfulness of consumers' fast-food meal choices. Participants will complete hypothetical online meal ordering tasks using a survey which emulates the online menus of two types of fast-food chain restaurants: a burger restaurant and a sandwich restaurant. Participants will be randomized the view both menus, presented in random order, with one of five labeling conditions applied. Secondary objectives include energy and nutrient content of meals ordered, prices of meals ordered, and, through a post-order survey, noticeability of the labels and perceptions of labels between the conditions.

Conditions

• Food Selection

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Control (QR) Labels

Participants will view two fast-food restaurant menus presented in a random order. Each menu will include main, side, dessert, and drink items, and each menu item will be displayed with an image of the item, name, price, and total calories. For main items only, Control (QR) labels will be displayed beneath each item. Participants will be instructed to select at least 1 and up to 4 menu items for a hypothetical meal order. Participants will be required to select a main item and, optionally, up to 3 additional items (drinks, sides, desserts).

BEHAVIORAL

Low Environmental Harm Labels

Participants will view two fast-food restaurant menus presented in a random order. Each menu will include main, side, dessert, and drink items, and each menu item will be displayed with an image of the item, name, price, and total calories. For main items only, Low Environmental Harm labels will be displayed beneath a subset of items. Participants will be instructed to select at least 1 and up to 4 menu items for a hypothetical meal order. Participants will be required to select a main item and, optionally, up to 3 additional items (drinks, sides, desserts).

BEHAVIORAL

High Environmental Harm Labels

Participants will view two fast-food restaurant menus presented in a random order. Each menu will include main, side, dessert, and drink items, and each menu item will be displayed with an image of the item, name, price, and total calories. For main items only, Environmental Harm labels will be displayed beneath select items. Participants will be instructed to select at least 1 and up to 4 menu items for a hypothetical meal order. Participants will be required to select a main item and, optionally, up to 3 additional items (drinks, sides, desserts).

BEHAVIORAL

Environmental Harm Traffic Light Labels

Participants will view two fast-food restaurant menus presented in a random order. Each menu will include main, side, dessert, and drink items, and each menu item will be displayed with an image of the item, name, price, and total calories. For main items only, Environmental Harm Traffic Light labels will be displayed beneath each item. Participants will be instructed to select at least 1 and up to 4 menu items for a hypothetical meal order. Participants will be required to select a main item and, optionally, up to 3 additional items (drinks, sides, desserts).

BEHAVIORAL

Environmental Grade Labels

Participants will view two fast-food restaurant menus presented in a random order. Each menu will include main, side, dessert, and drink items, and each menu item will be displayed with an image of the item, name, price, and total calories. For main items only, Environmental Grade labels will be displayed beneath each item. Participants will be instructed to select at least 1 and up to 4 menu items for a hypothetical meal order. Participants will be required to select a main item and, optionally, up to 3 additional items (drinks, sides, desserts).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Julia Wolfson, PhD MPP · Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2026-04-13

Primary Completion

2026-05-21

Completion

2026-05-21

Countries

• United States

Study Locations