Food Preferences
Conditions
Keywords
food labeling, carbon footprint, dietary sustainability, eating, choice behavior
Brief summary
This online randomized clinical trial will test the effects of restaurant menu carbon footprint labels on consumers' choices and perceptions of restaurant menu items.
Detailed description
This online randomized clinical trial will test the effects of restaurant menu carbon footprint labels on consumers' choices and perceptions of restaurant menu items. Participants will be randomized to see a restaurant menu with one of two labeling schemes: 1) Control: calorie labels only; 2) Carbon footprint labels in addition to calorie labels. Participants will be instructed to select an entree to hypothetically order from an online restaurant menu. After selecting, they will be asked to answer questions about their perceptions of menu items and carbon footprint labels.The primary outcome will be the average carbon footprint of menu items chosen from the online menu.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALExposure to calorie information
Calories for all foods and beverages
BEHAVIORALExposure to carbon footprint information
Carbon footprint labels for all foods and beverages
Sponsors
University of Pennsylvania
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
Participants will be randomized to see a restaurant menu with one of two labeling schemes: 1) Control: calorie labels only; 2) Carbon footprint labels in addition to calorie labels. Participants will be instructed to select an entree to hypothetically order from the online restaurant menu. We will record participants' selections and match these to nutrition and carbon footprint information.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* US adults aged 18 or older
Exclusion criteria
* Younger than 18 * Non-US
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Carbon footprint of selected menu item | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | Participants will select a menu item to purchase from the online restaurant menu. Outcome is carbon footprint of selected item. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Perceived enjoyment of high-carbon-footprint menu item | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | This variable will be measured on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from not at all (1) to a great deal (5) |
| Perceived enjoyment of low-carbon-footprint menu item | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | This variable will be measured on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from not at all (1) to a great deal (5) |
| Perceived likelihood to order high-carbon-footprint menu item | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | This variable will be measured on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from not at all likely (1) to extremely likely (5) |
| Perceived likelihood to order low-carbon-footprint menu item | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | This variable will be measured on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from not at all likely (1) to extremely likely (5) |
| Perceived healthfulness of high-carbon-footprint menu item | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | This variable will be measured on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from not at all healthy (1) to extremely healthy (5) |
| Perceived healthfulness of low-carbon-footprint menu item | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | This variable will be measured on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from not at all healthy (1) to extremely healthy (5) |
| Estimated calories in high-carbon-footprint menu item | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | Open response variable |
| Estimated calories in low-carbon-footprint menu item | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | Open response variable |
| Perceived carbon footprint of high-carbon-footprint menu item | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | This variable will be measured with three multiple choice options: larger, smaller, or about the same carbon footprint compared to the typical menu item's carbon footprint |
| Calories in selected menu item | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | Participants will select a menu item to purchase from the online restaurant menu. Outcome is calorie content of selected item. |
| Perceived lowering of carbon footprint for high-carbon-footprint menu item | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | This variable will be measured on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from not at all (1) to a great deal (5) |
| Perceived lowering of carbon footprint for low-carbon-footprint menu item | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | This variable will be measured on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from not at all (1) to a great deal (5) |
| Noticing carbon footprint labels | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | Participants will respond yes, no, or I don't know to the item: Think back to the beginning of this survey. When you were looking at the Just Salad menu, did you notice any labels (other than calorie information or price) next to or beneath the food items? |
| Label influence | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | If participants responded yes to noticing labels, they will respond to How did the label alone (not the calorie information or price) influence what you chose to order, if at all? The label… with three options: more likely, less likely, or no effect |
| Perceived Message Effectiveness of labels | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | Three items averaged together: How much does this label discourage you from wanting to eat foods with a larger carbon footprint? \[1-5: Not at all, very little, somewhat, quite a bit, a great deal\] How much does this label make you concerned about the environmental effects of eating foods that have a larger carbon footprint? \[1-5: Not at all, very little, somewhat, quite a bit, a great deal\] How much does this label make eating foods with a larger carbon footprint seem unpleasant to you? \[1-5: Not at all, very little, somewhat, quite a bit, a great deal\] |
| Believability of labels | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | Item: How much do you believe this label? \[1-5: Not at all, very little, somewhat, quite a bit, a great deal\] |
| Learned from labels | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | Item: To what extent did you learn something new from this label? \[1-5: Not at all, very little, somewhat, quite a bit, a great deal\] |
| Talk about labels with others | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | Item: How likely are you to talk about this label with others? \[Likert scale from not at all likely (1) to extremely likely (5)\] |
| Understand the labels | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | Item: How easy or difficult was it to understand this label? \[Likert scale from very easy (1) to extremely difficult (5)\] |
| Perceived carbon footprint of low-carbon-footprint menu item | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | This variable will be measured with three multiple choice options: larger, smaller, or about the same carbon footprint compared to the typical menu item's carbon footprint |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed