When menus and menu boards at job-site cafeterias are labeled with calorie and nutrition information, workers will likely select healthier food and snack options, reports the University of California at Berkley’s Center for Weight and Health.

The center studied five Kaiser Permanente cafeterias to see how calorie-menu labeling influenced food selection among customers, including employees, at hospital cafeterias.

Researchers examined patrons’ lunchtime purchases before and after the cafeterias instituted menu labeling. They analyzed cash register records at two cafeteria sites and made direct observations at the others.

The study involved one of three menu labeling scenarios: calorie labeling on menu boards and placards at the point of purchase, a wall poster with both calorie and detailed nutrition information and no information.

From August to November 2008, more than 500 patrons completed cafeteria exit surveys four weeks after labeling was introduced at the various hospitals, researchers report. Two-thirds of the respondents at the menu board sites noted that the calorie information altered their purchase.

“This research showed that posting calorie counts changes patron food selections,” says Karen Webb, co-author of the study and researcher at the center. “Based on the changes we observed on patrons' lunch choices, and the frequency with which patrons go to the cafeteria over the course of a week, this kind of intervention could prevent up to five pounds of unwanted weight gain per year, provided people don't compensate by eating more calories at other meals, or in other settings,” she adds.

Given the study's results, Kaiser Permanente will post calorie information on menu boards in the cafeterias it operates in California, Oregon and Hawaii. Where the health care provider does not operate its own cafeterias, the programs will be phased in over time. “We are pleased to set an example that will encourage healthier choices for our employees and communities,” says Dean Edwards, vice president and chief procurement officer at Kaiser Permanente.

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