Consumer Search for Nutrition Information When Eating in Restaurants

With the average consumer eating in restaurants more than four times per week, and the need to combat the increase in obesity, heart disease, and diabetes, consumers need to choose healthier foods when eating out. Healthy choices require nutrition information to be provided and framed in a manner that is understandable to consumers. This study investigates the consumer characteristics, such as health consciousness, preventive health behaviors, perceived nutrition knowledge, self-efficacy, and body image and the impact these characteristics have on the desire for nutrition information. Also investigated is the preferred framing of this nutrition information when eating out. The results of this study indicate consumers desire expanded nutrition information, although they do not necessarily prefer to select the healthiest food. Compared to the other consumer characteristics, body image was the only consumer characteristic that had limited impact on the desire for nutrition information and the framing of this nutrition information.