This research synthesis reviews studies that have examined the use of menu labeling in away-from-home food establishments, such as restaurants and cafeterias, and the potential impact of labeling on consumers’ food and beverage selections. 

Dramatic increases in the consumption of away-from-home meals over the past 40 years have prompted growing interest in menu labeling, the practice of providing information on calories, fat, sodium and other selected nutrients in menu items at points of purchase, as a strategy to reduce obesity and diet-related chronic disease. Healthy Eating Research, which developed this brief, is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.