Calorie Consumption Inviting Consumers To Downsize Fast-Food Portions Significantly Reduces

Policies that mandate calorie labeling in fast-food and chain restaurants have had little or no observable impact on calorie consumption to date. In three field experiments, we tested an alternative approach: activating consumers’ self-control by having servers ask customers if they wanted to downsize portions of three starchy side dishes at a Chinese fast-food restaurant. We consistently found that 14–33 percent of customers accepted the downsizing offer, and they did so whether or not they were given a nominal twenty-five-cent discount. Overall, those who accepted smaller portions did not compensate by ordering more calories in their entrées, and the total calories served to them were, on average, reduced by more than 200. We also found that accepting the downsizing offer did not change the amount of uneaten food left at the end of the meal, so the calorie savings during purchasing translated into calorie savings during consumption. Labeling the calorie content of food during one of the experiments had no measurable impact on ordering behavior. If anything, the downsizing offer was less effective in changing customers’ ordering patterns with the calorie labeling present. These findings highlight the potential importance of portioncontrol interventions that specifically activate consumers’ self-control. O besity, which is primarily caused by overeating, has become a major public health issue. An intervention already in effect in some communities and to be required nationally in 2012 is mandatory calorie labeling on chain and fast-food restaurant menus. This policy is designed to provide information in the hope that consumerswill use it tomakehealthier food choices. Such information-based interventions, however, often fall short of changing behavior. Reports from restaurants in areas such as New York City, where calorie labeling is already in place, show that this initiative is having little to no effect on actual purchases. In this article we describe the results of three related field experiments that tested an alternative strategy. Instead of simply posting calorie information, this intervention directly presented customers with an opportunity to exercise self-control by reducing portion sizes and thereby reducing calorie intake. Much evidence suggests that people overconsume because they eat “mindlessly.” For example, people tend to eat most of the food put before them and feel satiated only when their plates are empty, regardless of how much food is actually served. This approach to food is ubiquitous in the United States, where the prevailing cultural norm dictates that meals are over only when plates are clean. Such habits are one reason why Americans regularly consume larger portions than are nutritionally necessary. Moreover, when consumers both are reliant on visual cues suchas the amount of food left onplates and are served oversize “value” portions in restaudoi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2011.0224