Calorie labels on restaurant menus may be doing more harm than good for individuals with eating disorders, according to a new study published in BMJ Public Health. The research, led by King’s College London, found that people with a history of eating disorders changed their behaviors when presented with calorie-labeled menus.
The Psychological Impact of Calorie Labels
The review, the first of its kind, analyzed data from 16 studies across the UK, US, Canada, and Saudi Arabia, involving 8,074 participants. Researchers found that individuals diagnosed with eating disorders often reacted negatively to calorie labels, reporting an increase in disordered eating thoughts and behaviors.
Some participants actively avoided restaurants that displayed calorie counts, while others became hyper-focused on the numbers, as confirmed by eye-tracking technology used in the studies. Additionally, some participants stated that seeing calorie counts reinforced their eating disorder beliefs, making recovery more complex.
A One-Size-Fits-All Policy?
Calorie labeling policies were introduced as part of broader public health efforts to combat obesity. In England, a 2022 law requires large restaurants, takeaways, and cafés to display calorie information on their menus. Similar regulations exist in the United States and Canada. However, the study suggests that these policies may not have adequately considered their impact on individuals with eating disorders.
The eating disorder charity Beat estimates that at least 1.25 million people in the UK have an eating disorder, with hospitalizations for these conditions rising by approximately 7% each year since 2005. Critics argue that focusing solely on calorie counts oversimplifies health and nutrition, as weight alone does not define overall well-being.
Calls for More Balanced Public Health Policies
Senior author Dr. Tom Jewell, Lecturer in Mental Health Nursing at King’s College London, emphasized the need for a balanced approach:
“Striking a balance between the positive and harmful impacts of calorie labels on menus is vital in any public health policies. Policymakers should consider the impact on obesity and eating disorders when making decisions about nutrition labeling.”
Co-author Dr. Nora Trompeter, a Research Fellow at University College London, echoed this sentiment, calling for further research into how calorie labels affect different populations, particularly young people.
While reducing obesity remains a key public health priority, researchers stress that more attention should be given to the unintended consequences of calorie labeling—ensuring that one solution does not create another problem.
Nora Trompeter, Fiona Duffy, Imogen Peebles, Emily Wadhera, Kate Chambers, Helen Sharpe, Ellen Maloney, Dasha Nicholls, Ulrike Schmidt, Lucy Serpell, Tom Jewell. Impact of out-of-home nutrition labelling on people with eating disorders: a systematic review and meta-synthesis. BMJ Public Health, 2025.
