College students care less about nutrition

Menu labels on college cafeteria food have absolutely no influence on the diet decisions of college students. This just adds to the pile of evidence that, despite laws which make restaurants report on everything from calorie content to fat percentages, nobody cares.

“Although it is important to inform consumers about the nutritional characteristics of the food offered, providing nutrition information in less healthy food environments such as fast food restaurant is unlikely to alter consumers’ food choices,” said Christine Hoefkens and Dr. Wim Verbeke, the authors of the study.

Students were asked to log their diets. Then posters were put up in the campus cafeteria showing the nutritional make up of the food - the good and bad alike. In addition to data, they used a star system which showed the menu items that were the healthiest. Six months later, the students were asked to log their diets again.

Researchers found no difference in the number of males eaten from each star category. The information brought no one to the alter of nutrition.

“In studies when you ask people how important nutrition is to them when they’re ordering food from a restaurant menu, it’s far less important than a food price or taste. It’s just not a consideration,” said Lisa Harnack, a professor at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Source: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Reuters