Restaurant Menu Carbon Footprint Labeling

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This online randomized clinical trial will test the effects of restaurant menu carbon footprint labels on consumers' choices and perceptions of restaurant menu items.

Detailed Description
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This online randomized clinical trial will test the effects of restaurant menu carbon footprint labels on consumers' choices and perceptions of restaurant menu items. Participants will be randomized to see a restaurant menu with one of two labeling schemes: 1) Control: calorie labels only; 2) Carbon footprint labels in addition to calorie labels. Participants will be instructed to select an entree to hypothetically order from an online restaurant menu. After selecting, they will be asked to answer questions about their perceptions of menu items and carbon footprint labels.The primary outcome will be the average carbon footprint of menu items chosen from the online menu.

Official Title
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Impact of Restaurant Menu Carbon Footprint Labeling on Consumers Purchase Intentions and Perceptions

Conditions
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Food Preferences

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Exposure to calorie information
* Behavioral: Exposure to carbon footprint information


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: US adults aged 18 or older Exclusion Criteria: Younger than 18 Non-US

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Interventional Model Description: Participants will be randomized to see a restaurant menu with one of two labeling schemes: 1) Control: calorie labels only; 2) Carbon footprint labels in addition to calorie labels. Participants will be instructed to select an entree to hypothetically order from the online restaurant menu. We will record participants' selections and match these to nutrition and carbon footprint information.
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Active Comparator: Control<br>Calorie labels shown on online restaurant menu | Behavioral: Exposure to calorie information<br>* Calories for all foods and beverages<br>|
| Experimental: Carbon footprint labels<br>Carbon footprint labels shown on online restaurant menu next to every item in addition to calorie labels | Behavioral: Exposure to calorie information<br>* Calories for all foods and beverages<br>Behavioral: Exposure to carbon footprint information<br>* Carbon footprint labels for all foods and beverages<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Carbon footprint of selected menu item | Participants will select a menu item to purchase from the online restaurant menu. Outcome is carbon footprint of selected item. | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Calories in selected menu item | Participants will select a menu item to purchase from the online restaurant menu. Outcome is calorie content of selected item. | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | 
| Perceived enjoyment of high-carbon-footprint menu item | This variable will be measured on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from not at all (1) to a great deal (5) | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | 
| Perceived enjoyment of low-carbon-footprint menu item | This variable will be measured on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from not at all (1) to a great deal (5) | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | 
| Perceived likelihood to order high-carbon-footprint menu item | This variable will be measured on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from not at all likely (1) to extremely likely (5) | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | 
| Perceived likelihood to order low-carbon-footprint menu item | This variable will be measured on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from not at all likely (1) to extremely likely (5) | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | 
| Perceived healthfulness of high-carbon-footprint menu item | This variable will be measured on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from not at all healthy (1) to extremely healthy (5) | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | 
| Perceived healthfulness of low-carbon-footprint menu item | This variable will be measured on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from not at all healthy (1) to extremely healthy (5) | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | 
| Estimated calories in high-carbon-footprint menu item | Open response variable | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | 
| Estimated calories in low-carbon-footprint menu item | Open response variable | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | 
| Perceived carbon footprint of high-carbon-footprint menu item | This variable will be measured with three multiple choice options: larger, smaller, or about the same carbon footprint compared to the typical menu item's carbon footprint | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | 
| Perceived carbon footprint of low-carbon-footprint menu item | This variable will be measured with three multiple choice options: larger, smaller, or about the same carbon footprint compared to the typical menu item's carbon footprint | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | 
| Perceived lowering of carbon footprint for high-carbon-footprint menu item | This variable will be measured on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from not at all (1) to a great deal (5) | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | 
| Perceived lowering of carbon footprint for low-carbon-footprint menu item | This variable will be measured on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from not at all (1) to a great deal (5) | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | 
| Noticing carbon footprint labels | Participants will respond yes, no, or I don't know to the item: Think back to the beginning of this survey. When you were looking at the Just Salad menu, did you notice any labels (other than calorie information or price) next to or beneath the food items? | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | 
| Label influence | If participants responded yes to noticing labels, they will respond to How did the label alone (not the calorie information or price) influence what you chose to order, if at all? The label… with three options: more likely, less likely, or no effect | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | 
| Perceived Message Effectiveness of labels | Three items averaged together: How much does this label discourage you from wanting to eat foods with a larger carbon footprint? [1-5: Not at all, very little, somewhat, quite a bit, a great deal] How much does this label make you concerned about the environmental effects of eating foods that have a larger carbon footprint? [1-5: Not at all, very little, somewhat, quite a bit, a great deal] How much does this label make eating foods with a larger carbon footprint seem unpleasant to you? [1-5: Not at all, very little, somewhat, quite a bit, a great deal] | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | 
| Believability of labels | Item: How much do you believe this label? [1-5: Not at all, very little, somewhat, quite a bit, a great deal] | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | 
| Learned from labels | Item: To what extent did you learn something new from this label? [1-5: Not at all, very little, somewhat, quite a bit, a great deal] | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | 
| Talk about labels with others | Item: How likely are you to talk about this label with others? [Likert scale from not at all likely (1) to extremely likely (5)] | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | 
| Understand the labels | Item: How easy or difficult was it to understand this label? [Likert scale from very easy (1) to extremely difficult (5)] | The survey will take up to 20 minutes. | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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food labeling, carbon footprint, dietary sustainability, eating, choice behavior