New York City has recently been in the news for its numerous attempts to curb the eating habits of its citizens. Earlier this year, New York City passed legislation requiring chain restaurants to display nutritional information regarding sodium content on their menus. The city already requires chain restaurants to post calorie content on their menus, hoping to encourage healthy eating and curb the growing obesity epidemic (Mueller & Grynbaum, 2015). Although this kind of legislation is not aimed at any particular population, it is especially vital for researchers to determine whether or not millennial females will utilize displayed nutritional information when making decisions regarding their food choices, and if this information will improve
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The national recommended amount daily sodium per individual is 2,300 milligrams; however, on average, the majority of adults consume more than 3,300 milligrams each day (Pande, 2013). Although this legislation is specifically aimed at reducing daily sodium intake, it is part of a broader attempt to curb obesity in New York City. A 2013 study showed that a diet high in sodium, regardless of calorie intake, may have a direct link to weight gain and obesity (Yoon & Oh, 2013). Obesity has more than doubled since 1980, with 11% of men and 15% of women being obese (World Health Organization, 2015). Obesity is directly linked to cardiovascular disease, which is one of the leading causes of death in the United States (WHO, 2015). It is also one of the causes of diabetes, certain types of cancers, osteoarthritis, and numerous other preventable diseases (Dixon, 2010). By making consumers aware of their sodium and calorie intake the city’s government hopes to reduce sodium and obesity related illnesses throughout the city (Mueller & Grynbaum, …show more content…
There is some conflicting data showing that respondents both do and do not respond to nutritional labeling. For example, after New York City began mandating that chain restaurants display the caloric content of their foods in 2008, researchers at Stanford examined how consumer behavior changed at Starbucks. The study found that the beverage order for consumers did not change, even with additional calorie information posted, so there was no change in the average amount of beverage calories per transaction; however, food orders did change, showing an average 14% decrease in food calories per transaction (Bollinger, Leslie, & Sorensen, 2011). Another study in New York City examining consumers at four popular chain restaurants also reported mixed findings. The study found that, once calories were posted, participants ordered more caloric beverages and increasingly chose full-fat salad dressings for salads over low-fat salad dressings overall, seemingly showing that calorie labeling has a negative impact on consumer behavior (Vadiveloo, Dixon, & Elbel, 2011); however, the study also found that adults who noticed the calorie labels typically made healthier food choices and ate at fast food restaurants less overall, even if they self-reported that the labeling did not impact their choices. Furthermore, young adults
The national recommended amount daily sodium per individual is 2,300 milligrams; however, on average, the majority of adults consume more than 3,300 milligrams each day (Pande, 2013). Although this legislation is specifically aimed at reducing daily sodium intake, it is part of a broader attempt to curb obesity in New York City. A 2013 study showed that a diet high in sodium, regardless of calorie intake, may have a direct link to weight gain and obesity (Yoon & Oh, 2013). Obesity has more than doubled since 1980, with 11% of men and 15% of women being obese (World Health Organization, 2015). Obesity is directly linked to cardiovascular disease, which is one of the leading causes of death in the United States (WHO, 2015). It is also one of the causes of diabetes, certain types of cancers, osteoarthritis, and numerous other preventable diseases (Dixon, 2010). By making consumers aware of their sodium and calorie intake the city’s government hopes to reduce sodium and obesity related illnesses throughout the city (Mueller & Grynbaum, …show more content…
There is some conflicting data showing that respondents both do and do not respond to nutritional labeling. For example, after New York City began mandating that chain restaurants display the caloric content of their foods in 2008, researchers at Stanford examined how consumer behavior changed at Starbucks. The study found that the beverage order for consumers did not change, even with additional calorie information posted, so there was no change in the average amount of beverage calories per transaction; however, food orders did change, showing an average 14% decrease in food calories per transaction (Bollinger, Leslie, & Sorensen, 2011). Another study in New York City examining consumers at four popular chain restaurants also reported mixed findings. The study found that, once calories were posted, participants ordered more caloric beverages and increasingly chose full-fat salad dressings for salads over low-fat salad dressings overall, seemingly showing that calorie labeling has a negative impact on consumer behavior (Vadiveloo, Dixon, & Elbel, 2011); however, the study also found that adults who noticed the calorie labels typically made healthier food choices and ate at fast food restaurants less overall, even if they self-reported that the labeling did not impact their choices. Furthermore, young adults