Cost-Effectiveness of Mandating Calorie Labels on Prepared Foods in Supermarkets.

Details

• Alternative Title:
  American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2025, v. 68, no. 2: Cost-Effectiveness of Mandating Calorie Labels on Prepared Foods in Supermarkets.
• Journal Article:
  American Journal of Preventive Medicine
• Personal Author:
  Grummon, Anna H. ; Barrett, Jessica L. ; Block, Jason P. ; McCulloch, Stephanie ; Bolton, Amy ; Dupuis, Roxanne ; Petimar, Joshua ; Gortmaker, Steven L.
• Description:
  The U.S. has required chain food establishments-including supermarkets-to display calorie labels on prepared (i.e., ready-to-eat) foods since 2018. Implementation of this supermarket calorie labeling policy reduced purchases of prepared foods from supermarkets, but it remains unknown whether the policy is cost-effective.
  
  In 2023-2024, this study applied the Childhood Obesity Intervention Cost-Effectiveness Study (CHOICES) microsimulation model to estimate the effects of the supermarket calorie labeling policy on health, costs, and cost-effectiveness over 10 years (2018-2027) for the U.S.
  
  The model projected benefits overall and among racial, ethnic, and income subgroups. Sensitivity analyses varied assumptions about the extent to which consumers replace calorie reductions from prepared foods with calories from other sources (i.e., caloric compensation).
  
  From 2018-2027, the supermarket calorie labeling policy was projected to save $348 million in healthcare costs (95% Uncertainty Interval UI=$263, $426 million), prevent 21,700 cases of obesity (95% UI: 18,200-25,400), including 3,890 cases of childhood obesity (95% UI=2,680, 5,120), and lead to 15,100 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained across the U.S. population (95% UI=10,900, 20,500). The policy was projected to prevent cases of obesity and childhood obesity across all racial, ethnic, and income groups. The policy was projected to be cost-saving when assuming low and moderate caloric compensation and cost-effective when assuming very high caloric compensation.
  
  A policy requiring calorie labels on prepared foods in supermarkets was projected to be cost-saving or cost-effective and lead to reductions in obesity across all racial, ethnic, and income groups.
• Content Notes:
  Author manuscript
• Subjects:
  • Humans
  • Food Labeling
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis
  • Pediatric Obesity
  • Food Markets
  • Energy Intake
  • Child
  • Fast Foods
  • Nutrition Policy
• Source:
  American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2025, v. 68, no. 2
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2024.10.007
• ISSN:
  0749-3797 ; 1873-2607
• Pubmed ID:
  39419233
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC11757065
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  R01 DK115492/DK/NIDDK NIH HHSUnited States/ ; R01 HL146625/HL/NHLBI NIH HHSUnited States/ ; U48 DP000064/DP/NCCDPHP CDC HHSUnited States/ ; U48 DP006376/DP/NCCDPHP CDC HHSUnited States/
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  United States
• Pages in Document:
  300-310 (16 pdf pages)
• Volume:
  68
• Issue:
  2
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/261975/cdc_261975_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 389.72 KB]
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:d926bb7c270707ab79b48efc462e6705e2234063c82f43db1e1d76cbf05a05d9b6745c0b1f82933a15e892f51938e59bd88573e6dd3945e5131bc4b68539f51e