Files
Abstract
Obesity is still on the rise, leading to high costs for the obese individual itself but also for
society. We analyze the influence of peer effects on food choices in lunchrooms with posted
nutrition facts. Data were collected in a lunchroom at a large U.S. university. Groups of four
patrons each were interviewed for a total of 112 observations. Among others, results for calories
consumed from pizza and pasta show that individuals who are dining in groups with at least one
obese group member are taking in more calories. Looking at nutrition facts when ordering the
food decreases calorie intake. The results suggest that dining with obese peers increases the
probability of obesity while calorie labeling decreases the probability. In terms of nutrition signposting
this is a promising result. However, only 15% of the sample had used the nutrition facts
to make all their food choice, which leads to the conclusion that overall attention to nutrition
labeling needs to be increased.