Anti-obesity advocates hope a mandate for chain restaurants to post calorie counts, signed into law by President Barack Obama as part of the health care overhaul, will make diners feel the culinary equivalent of sticker shock when confronted with figures for greasy, sugary and fatty foods.
Early studies show some modest changes in consumer behavior in New York, which enacted its pioneering calorie-posting law in 2008.
“It forced us to innovate,” said Olivier Arizzi, brand-marketing manager for New York bakery Le Pain Quotidien. “We would have had certain pastries that were very popular before not being popular anymore because the calorie count would be so high.”
Researchers at Stanford found that calorie postings in New York Starbucks stores led to a 6 percent reduction in calories per transaction.
