Why warnings on menus are helping people make healthier food choices

Salt warnings on restaurant menus can encourage consumers to make healthier choices, a study has found.

Researchers have the “strongest evidence to date” that UK consumers see warnings on menus to be effective in discouraging them from ordering options that are high in salt, according to the study, the first of its kind, by Liverpool University, published in The Lancet Public Health.

Salt warning labels included in the study alerted consumers to dishes exceeding 50 per cent of the recommended UK daily salt limit of 6g.

In an online trial with 2,391 UK adults, salt warning labels were perceived by participants as effective in discouraging selection of high-salt items and reduced salt ordered by 0.26g per meal.

In a real-world trial at a Liverpool restaurant with 454 participants, labelled menus prompted greater awareness of salt content when ordering and reduced the salt ordered by 0.54g per meal.

Across both trials, labels were found to be equally effective regardless of age, sex or education level.

Dr Rebecca Evans, the study’s lead author, said: “Our study has found that salt warning labels on menus help people make healthier choices.

“Given that excess salt intake is a leading cause of diet-related disease, this kind of labelling policy could play a vital role in improving population health.

“This study demonstrates that even small nudges at the point of purchase can encourage healthier choices.”

The research team said the study was the first real-world randomised controlled trial globally to evaluate salt labelling in a full-service restaurant environment.

Sonia Pombo, from Action on Salt, said: “This important new study adds to the growing evidence that clear and visible salt warning labels on menus can positively influence consumer choices and reduce salt intake.

“Eating out is no longer an occasional indulgence – it’s a routine part of daily life. Yet many meals are loaded with salt, often without our knowledge or consent.

“If we’re serious about protecting public health and saving lives, salt reduction must be front and centre of the UK’s food policy agenda.”