Restaurant Menu Carbon Footprint Labeling

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Food Preferences
• Interventions: Behavioral: Exposure to calorie information; Behavioral: Exposure to carbon footprint information

• Registration Number: NCT05592340
• Lead Sponsor: University of Pennsylvania

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.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2022-10-19
• Study First Submitted QC: 2022-10-19
• Study First Posted: 2022-10-24
• Study Start: 2022-11-03
• Status Verified: 2022-12
• Primary Completion: 2022-12-01
• Study Completion: 2022-12-01
• Last Update Submitted: 2022-12-26
• Last Update Posted: 2022-12-28

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 2389

Inclusion Criteria

• US adults aged 18 or older

Exclusion Criteria

• Younger than 18
• Non-US

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Control	Exposure to calorie information	Calorie labels shown on online restaurant menu
Carbon footprint labels	Exposure to calorie information	Carbon footprint labels shown on online restaurant menu next to every item in addition to calorie labels
Carbon footprint labels	Exposure to carbon footprint information	Carbon footprint labels shown on online restaurant menu next to every item in addition to calorie labels

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
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 Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
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
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 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
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
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?"
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? \[Likert scale from not at all likely (1) to extremely likely (5)\]
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)
Learned from labels	The survey will take up to 20 minutes.	Item: To what extent did you learn something new from this label? \[1-5: Not at all, very little, somewhat, quite a bit, a great deal\]
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)
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 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 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 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? \[1-5: Not at all, very little, somewhat, quite a bit, a great deal\]
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 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)
Estimated calories in low-carbon-footprint menu item	The survey will take up to 20 minutes.	Open response variable
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)
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

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Pennsylvania; 🇺🇸 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States