Department of Primary Care & Mental Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.
BMC Public Health. 2023 Jun 6;23(1):1088. doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-16033-8.
Regulations mandating kilocalorie (kcal) labelling for large businesses in the out-of-home food sector (OHFS) came into force on 6th April 2022 as a policy to reduce obesity in England. To provide indicators of potential reach and impact, kcal labelling practices were studied in the OHFS, and customer purchasing and consumption behaviours prior to implementation of the mandatory kcal labelling policy in England.
From August-December 2021, large OHFS businesses subject to the kcal labelling regulations were visited prior to regulations coming into force on 6th April 2022. 3308 customers were recruited from 330 outlets and collected survey information on the number of kcal purchased and consumed by customers, customers' knowledge of the kcal content of their purchases, and customers noticing and use of kcal labelling. In a subset of 117 outlets, data was collected on nine recommended kcal labelling practices.
The average number of kcals purchased (1013 kcal, SD = 632 kcal) was high with 69% of purchases exceeding the recommendation of a maximum of 600 kcal per meal. Participants underestimated the energy content of their purchased meals by on average 253 kcal (SD = 644 kcals). In outlets providing kcal labelling in which customer survey data was collected, a minority of customers reported noticing (21%) or using (20%) kcal labelling. Out of the 117 outlets assessed for kcal labelling practices, 24 (21%) provided any in-store kcal labelling. None of the outlets met all nine aspects of recommended labelling practices.
Prior to implementation of 2022 kcal labelling policy, the majority of sampled OHFS large business outlets in England did not provide kcal labelling. Few customers noticed or used the labels and on average customers purchased and consumed substantially more energy than recommended in public health guidelines. The findings suggest that reliance on voluntary action for kcal labelling implementation failed to produce widespread, consistent, and adequate kcal labelling practices.
为了减少英格兰的肥胖问题，规定大型外出就餐食品行业（OHFS）的企业必须标注千卡路里（kcal）的法规于 2022 年 4 月 6 日生效。为了提供潜在覆盖范围和影响的指标，在英格兰实施强制性 kcal 标签政策之前，对 OHFS 中的 kcal 标签做法进行了研究，并研究了消费者的购买和消费行为。
2021 年 8 月至 12 月，在 2022 年 4 月 6 日法规生效之前，对符合 kcal 标签法规的大型 OHFS 企业进行了访问。从 330 个网点招募了 3308 名顾客，收集了顾客购买和消费的卡路里数量、顾客对购买产品卡路里含量的了解程度以及顾客对卡路里标签的注意和使用情况等信息。在 117 个网点中的一个子集中，收集了九个推荐的 kcal 标签做法的数据。
购买的平均卡路里数量（1013kcal，标准差=632kcal）很高，69%的购买量超过了每餐最多 600kcal 的建议量。参与者平均低估了他们购买的餐点的能量含量 253kcal（标准差=644kcal）。在提供顾客调查数据的提供 kcal 标签的网点中，只有少数顾客报告注意到（21%）或使用（20%）kcal 标签。在所评估的 117 个提供 kcal 标签做法的网点中，只有 24 个（21%）提供店内任何形式的 kcal 标签。没有一个网点符合所有九个推荐的标签做法。
在 2022 年 kcal 标签政策实施之前，英格兰抽样的 OHFS 大型企业网点中，大多数网点都没有提供 kcal 标签。很少有顾客注意到或使用这些标签，平均而言，顾客购买和消费的能量远远超过公共卫生指南的建议。这些发现表明，依靠自愿行动来实施 kcal 标签未能产生广泛、一致和充分的 kcal 标签做法。
