Testing Non-Nutrition Menu Labels on Food Selections

Part of paid clinical trials in Baltimore, Maryland.

Sponsor
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Study ID
NCT07536126
Status
Recruiting
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Conditions

  • Food Selection

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
18 Years - N/A
Healthy Volunteers
Accepted

Interventions

  • Control (QR) Labels — BEHAVIORAL
    Participants will view two fast-food restaurant menus presented in a random order. Each menu will include main, side, dessert, and drink items, and each menu item will be displayed with an image of the item, name, price, and total calories. For main items only, Control (QR) labels will be displayed beneath each item. Participants will be instructed to select at least 1 and up to 4 menu items for a hypothetical meal order. Participants will be required to select a main item and, optionally, up to 3 additional items (drinks, sides, desserts).
  • Low Environmental Harm Labels — BEHAVIORAL
    Participants will view two fast-food restaurant menus presented in a random order. Each menu will include main, side, dessert, and drink items, and each menu item will be displayed with an image of the item, name, price, and total calories. For main items only, Low Environmental Harm labels will be displayed beneath a subset of items. Participants will be instructed to select at least 1 and up to 4 menu items for a hypothetical meal order. Participants will be required to select a main item and, optionally, up to 3 additional items (drinks, sides, desserts).
  • High Environmental Harm Labels — BEHAVIORAL
    Participants will view two fast-food restaurant menus presented in a random order. Each menu will include main, side, dessert, and drink items, and each menu item will be displayed with an image of the item, name, price, and total calories. For main items only, Environmental Harm labels will be displayed beneath select items. Participants will be instructed to select at least 1 and up to 4 menu items for a hypothetical meal order. Participants will be required to select a main item and, optionally, up to 3 additional items (drinks, sides, desserts).
  • Environmental Harm Traffic Light Labels — BEHAVIORAL
    Participants will view two fast-food restaurant menus presented in a random order. Each menu will include main, side, dessert, and drink items, and each menu item will be displayed with an image of the item, name, price, and total calories. For main items only, Environmental Harm Traffic Light labels will be displayed beneath each item. Participants will be instructed to select at least 1 and up to 4 menu items for a hypothetical meal order. Participants will be required to select a main item and, optionally, up to 3 additional items (drinks, sides, desserts).
  • Environmental Grade Labels — BEHAVIORAL
    Participants will view two fast-food restaurant menus presented in a random order. Each menu will include main, side, dessert, and drink items, and each menu item will be displayed with an image of the item, name, price, and total calories. For main items only, Environmental Grade labels will be displayed beneath each item. Participants will be instructed to select at least 1 and up to 4 menu items for a hypothetical meal order. Participants will be required to select a main item and, optionally, up to 3 additional items (drinks, sides, desserts).

Study Details

The primary objective of this study is to test the relative effects of environmental harm menu label designs on the healthfulness of consumers' fast-food meal choices. Participants will complete hypothetical online meal ordering tasks using a survey which emulates the online menus of two types of fast-food chain restaurants: a burger restaurant and a sandwich restaurant. Participants will be randomized the view both menus, presented in random order, with one of five labeling conditions applied. Secondary objectives include energy and nutrient content of meals ordered, prices of meals ordered, and, through a post-order survey, noticeability of the labels and perceptions of labels between the conditions.

Key Dates

Start date
Apr 13, 2026
Status verified
May 2026
Primary completion
May 21, 2026
Completion
May 21, 2026

Study Design

Enrollment
7,000 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION

Arms

  • Placebo Comparator: Control (QR) Labels
    A black label featuring a QR code and white text that reads "SCAN HERE" will be placed beneath all main menu items on two restaurant menus. Explanatory text describing the label's meaning will be displayed at the top of the menu.
  • Experimental: Low Environmental Harm Labels
    A green icon-plus-text label that reads "LOW ENVIRONMENTAL HARM" in white text against a green background will be placed on two restaurant menus beneath main menu items that are less harmful to the environment compared to unlabeled main menu items, based on use of cropland, pastureland, and water. Labels will include a white globe icon directly preceding the label text. Explanatory text describing the label's meaning will be displayed at the top of the menu.
  • Experimental: High Environmental Harm Labels
    A red icon-plus-text label that reads "HIGH ENVIRONMENTAL HARM" in white text against a red background will be placed on two restaurant menus beneath main menu items that are more harmful to the environment compared to unlabeled main menu items, based on use of cropland, pastureland, and water. Labels will include a white globe icon directly preceding the label text. Explanatory text describing the label's meaning will be displayed at the top of the menu.
  • Experimental: Environmental Harm Traffic Light Labels
    Traffic Light labels will be placed on two restaurant menus beneath all main menu items. Using estimated cropland, pastureland, and water use, each item will be assigned one of three icon-plus-text labels within this scheme: low-, medium-, or high-impact label. Each will read, "HIGH ENVIRONMENTAL HARM" within a red label, "MED. ENVIRONMENTAL HARM" in a yellow label, and "LOW ENVIRONMENTAL HARM" in a green label. Text for all labels will be written in white, and a white globe icon will precede the text. Explanatory text describing the meaning of the labels will be displayed at the top of the menu.
  • Experimental: Environmental Grade Labels
    Environmental Grade labels will be placed on two restaurant menus beneath all main menu items, using estimated cropland, pastureland, and water use to assign one of five icon-plus-text labels which indicate a specific environmental grade (A, B, C, D, and F). All labels are solid black with a white globe icon followed by white text which reads "ENVIRONMENTAL GRADE". On the left side of each label, a grade is displayed, capitalized and in a white font within a solid-colored box. The color of the box corresponds with each letter grade: A = dark green, B = light green, C = yellow, D = orange, F = red. Beneath the letter grade, a gradient of all possible grades is displayed horizontally in smaller font, each grade atop a small solid box in the respective grade color. Explanatory text describing the meaning of the labels will be displayed at the top of the menu.

Primary Outcome Measure

Modified Nutrient Profile Index score [ Time Frame: Immediately upon viewing the menus ]

Central Contacts

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthBaltimoreMaryland21205-

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