Ahead of regulations that would require restaurants and fast-food to provide information such as calorie counts for their offerings, USDA researchers examined the impact of information now being given voluntarily by vendors. An Economic Research Service bulletin, “Consumers’ use of nutrition information when eating out,” says people who eat out frequently are less likely to use nutrition information at restaurants than those who dine out more often.
“We find a strong correlation,” the bulletin says between people who say they would use the information if it was offered and the quality of their diets. “Consumers who intend to use the information…have higher scores in USDA’s Healthy Eating Index and consumer less sugar,” says a summary.