Mandatory calorie labelling in the out-of-home food sector: an obesity policy with multiple mechanisms of action

Abstract

The UK government has proposed mandatory calorie labelling of food and drink served outside of the home to help reduce obesity. Although calorie labelling may have a modest or no direct impact on consumer behaviour, it has the potential to influence diet via other mechanisms. These should be more consistently considered when judging the potential public health benefits of mandatory calorie labelling.