Tools- of Changes

Salt Warnings on Restaurant Menus Can Discourage High-Salt Choices

Salt warning labels on restaurant menus are a promising policy option to discourage high salt intake.

• 2,549 participants were randomly assigned to one of four salt warning label groups or to the control group. 158 participants were excluded from analysis, resulting in a final analytic sample of 2,391.
• All salt warning labels were perceived as significantly more effective at discouraging salt intake than the control, with mean perceived message effectiveness differences of 1·23 (95% CI 1·12–1·34; p <0·0001) for packaged food scenarios and 1·22 (95% CI 1·11–1·33; p <0·0001) for menu scenarios.

• 465 eligible participants were randomly assigned to menus with red triangle salt warning labels next to high-salt items (n=240) or to the restaurant's standard menu (control group; n=225.) Full data from 11 participants were excluded from analysis, resulting in a final analytic sample of 454.
• The labelled menu was rated as significantly more effective than the control menu in terms of perceived message effectiveness, with a mean difference of 1·00 (95% CI 0·79–1·18; p<0·0001). Participants assigned to the labelled menu condition were significantly more likely to think about the salt content of the meals when ordering than were participants assigned to the standard menu (odds ratio 19·50, 95% CI 8·24–46·16; p<0·0001).