Changes in out-of-home food purchasing following England’s calorie labelling regulations: a population-level controlled interrupted time series

Summary

This controlled interrupted time series analysis evaluated whether England's mandatory menu calorie labelling policy, implemented for large out-of-home food businesses on 6 April 2022, resulted in measurable changes in calorie purchasing behaviour. Using itemised purchase records aggregated to population level and compared against a counterfactual constructed from pre-intervention England data and post-intervention Scotland/Wales control data, the study found no evidence that mandatory calorie labelling was associated with changes in overall calories purchased out-of-home.

Regional applicability

This study directly examines policy implementation in England and is therefore directly applicable to United Kingdom conditions and policy evaluation. The findings provide evidence on the effectiveness of mandatory menu calorie labelling—a policy already in place in England—and may inform ongoing debate about the public health effectiveness of this regulatory approach in the UK context.

Key measures

Population-level average weekly kilocalorie (kcal) purchases from out-of-home outlets; level and trend changes in calorie purchases; subgroup analyses by age, sex, socioeconomic status, weight status, and weekday/weekend purchases

Outcomes reported

The study measured changes in calories purchased from out-of-home food outlets in England following mandatory calorie labelling implementation in April 2022, using controlled interrupted time series analysis with 13 weeks pre-intervention and 34 weeks post-intervention data. Secondary outcomes included purchases by outlet type (chain vs. non-chain) and food category (meals, coffee, sandwiches, fish and chips).

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