Table 1. Unadjusted Calories of Menu Items Sold in Chain Restaurants Before and After Implementation of Menu Calorie Labelsa.
| Category | Calories, mean (SD) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All items offered from 2012 to 2019b | Items offered every year from 2012 to 2019c | Items newly introduced in 2013 to 2019d | Items removed in 2013 to 2019e | |||||
| Before | After | Before | After | Before | After | Before | After | |
| All menu items | 399 (382) | 388 (398) | 369 (330) | 373 (319) | 457 (423) | 376 (415) | 478 (396) | 375 (377) |
| By menu item type | ||||||||
| Foodf | 530 (409) | 535 (448) | 470 (337) | 474 (319) | 592 (443) | 584 (502) | 603 (394) | 563 (413) |
| Entreesg | 583 (403) | 560 (386) | 528 (340) | 528 (320) | 628 (399) | 585 (409) | 650 (387) | 597 (368) |
| Appetizers and sidesh | 384 (381) | 450 (536) | 344 (277) | 352 (279) | 449 (504) | 562 (673) | 411 (391) | 444 (455) |
| Desserts | 514 (425) | 556 (564) | 442 (348) | 452 (321) | 611 (548) | 623 (749) | 551 (361) | 584 (578) |
| Toppings and ingredients | 113 (128) | 110 (130) | 87 (92) | 86 (87) | 143 (159) | 106 (134) | 127 (142) | 120 (157) |
| Beverages | 294 (289) | 279 (268) | 272 (270) | 279 (272) | 356 (358) | 265 (231) | 355 (330) | 315 (302) |
| By restaurant type | ||||||||
| Fast food | 393 (382) | 371 (397) | 363 (290) | 366 (287) | 467 (429) | 332 (423) | 476 (381) | 327 (357) |
| Fast casual | 311 (350) | 339 (370) | 375 (369) | 352 (351) | 221 (238) | 339 (338) | 314 (341) | 304 (329) |
| Full service | 457 (414) | 451 (436) | 396 (387) | 422 (379) | 539 (464) | 458 (456) | 553 (439) | 466 (435) |
| Coffee | 276 (171) | 292 (196) | 254 (171) | 242 (171) | 288 (175) | 307 (214) | 300 (162) | 288 (182) |
Data are from 35 354 menu items with calorie information offered at 59 restaurants in the MenuStat database from 2012 to 2019.
Offered on any menu between 2012 and 2019.
Items with the same name and description offered by the chain every year from 2012 to 2019 with calorie information available in all years.
Not offered in 2012 and introduced after 2012. Calories are measured in year of introduction.
Offered in 2012 to 2018 and removed between 2013 and 2019. Calories are measured in the year item was removed from menu (eg, items on the menu in 2015 and not on the menu in 2016 are measured in 2016).
Includes all food categories except toppings and ingredients.
Includes burgers, entrees, pizza, salad, sandwiches, and soup.
Includes appetizers and sides, baked goods, and fried potatoes.