How far would you need
to run to burn off the calories in a candy bar? A recent paper asks whether providing
answers to this type of question on food packaging might reduce calorie intake.
Including nutritional
information on food packaging can help consumers decide whether they want to
buy a product.
However, according to
the authors of a new review and meta-analysis, "Evidence shows that
current front-of-pack nutrition information on
food [and] drinks is having a limited effect on changing purchasing or eating
behaviors."
Although the numbers
of calories are clearly
marked on food labels, for many people, these numbers are quite meaningless.
Because obesity is so prevalent, particularly in the Western world, many researchers are looking for ways to address it.
Because obesity is so prevalent, particularly in the Western world, many researchers are looking for ways to address it.
Making changes to food
labels is a relatively simple, cost effective intervention; if experts can find
a way to use food labels to influence food choices, it could have a substantial
impact on the weight of the population of the United States, for example.
The Journal of Epidemiology
& Community Health recently published the findings of
the new analysis.
A new way of labeling food
One possible way to
approach food labels is to explain, in real terms, what the calorie content of
a product means. This approach is called physical activity calorie equivalent
(PACE).
With this system, a label displays how far — or for
how long — a person would need to run or walk to use up the calories in the
food item.
As the authors
explain, this level of detail would help consumers decide whether the added
energy intake was "worth it." Aside from the information it provides,
the authors believe that PACE would also serve as a regular reminder of the
importance of physical activity in daily life. They write:
"When a consumer sees a visual symbol that
denotes it will take 4 hours to walk off a pizza and only 15 minutes to burn
off a salad, this, in theory, should create an awareness of the 'energy cost'
of food [and] drink."
Amanda J. Daley et al.
Some studies have
already looked at the impact of PACE labeling, but to date, studies have been
relatively small, and findings have been contradictory.
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