No Impact of Calorie or Unit Information on Ad Libitum Alcohol Consumption

Abstract

AimsTo investigate the impact of unit and calorie information on drinking behaviour in an ad libitum taste test paradigm.MethodsIn this experimental human laboratory study, participants were randomized to one of four conditions, balanced by gender, using a 2 (unit information: present vs. absent) × 2 (calorie information: present vs. absent) between-subjects design. The percentage of beer consumed during the taste test was the primary outcome measure.ResultsAmong this largely undergraduate student population, we found no evidence that either unit or calorie information impacted alcohol consumption in an ad libitum taste test. A manipulation check indicated that few of the participants receiving either unit and/or calorie information could accurately recall the number of units and/or calories in the beverages provided to them, indicating low levels of engagement with this information. Analysis of qualitative reactions to calorie and unit labelling indicated possible negative unintended consequences of calorie and unit information, including using unit information to facilitate consumption of higher strength beverages, and calorie information to reduce food consumption prior to a drinking episode.ConclusionWe find no evidence to support an effect of unit or calorie information, a public-health initiative supported by the alcohol industry, on drinking behaviour. It is possible that compulsory unit and calorie labelling, at least in the numeric format used here, would have no effect on alcohol intake and may even have some negative unintended consequences among certain populations.

Impact on product appeal of labeling wine and beer with (a) lower strength alcohol verbal descriptors and (b) percent alcohol by volume (%ABV): An experimental study.

“…The study extends recent findings by Vasiljevic, Couturier, et al (2018) , by showing that the appeal of labels denoting alcohol strength decreases with decreasing communicated strength, regardless of whether strength is communicated verbally and/or numerically (%ABV). The results are compatible with the possibility that lower strength alcohol labeling could be used akin to alcohol unit labeling, with consumers using the labels to choose stronger products ( Jones & Gregory, 2009 ; Maynard et al, 2018 ).…”

“…Evaluations of other types of alcohol labeling may provide useful indications as to how the public might respond to lower strength alcohol labeling. For example, studies to date have shown that labeling the units of alcohol contained in a drink may carry unintended consequences, with the label being used as a reference cue to purchase stronger alcohol products ( Jones & Gregory, 2009 ; Maynard et al, 2018 ). Furthermore, in the absence of verbal descriptors of alcohol strength drinkers tend to underestimate the alcohol units contained in their drinks, reflected in the pouring of larger servings ( de Visser & Birch, 2012 ; Furtwängler & de Visser, 2016 ).…”

“…Furthermore, in the absence of verbal descriptors of alcohol strength drinkers tend to underestimate the alcohol units contained in their drinks, reflected in the pouring of larger servings ( de Visser & Birch, 2012 ; Furtwängler & de Visser, 2016 ). Similar paradoxical effects have been found in relation to calorie labeling on alcohol containers, leading to increased intentions to have more alcohol (see Bui, Burton, Howlett, & Kozup, 2008 ) and using calorie information to reduce food consumption so that more alcohol might be drunk ( Maynard et al, 2018 ). However, it remains unclear whether similar under- or overestimates can be observed when verbal descriptors of strength are shown.…”

Perceptions of Alcohol Health Warning Labels in a Large International Cross-Sectional Survey of People Who Drink Alcohol

“…Furthermore, studies suggest consumers would support the inclusion of more health information on labels and this might and prompt discussion amongst family and friends, as well as raise awareness (Miller, Ramsey, Baratiny, & Olver, 2016a). Another recent study suggested people do want to know about health risks as well as information on standard drink sizes and guidelines, but they may need more information than can be displayed on labels (Vallance et al, 2018) to a drinking occasion, which may lead to increased harms (Maynard, Langfield, et al, 2018).…”

A machine learning perspective on responsible gambling

“…Any new warning label should ideally be trialled in both the laboratory and in the field before being introduced into the population, to mitigate the risk of any behavioral backfiring (Stibe & Cugelman, 2016). For example, qualitative research suggests that some young drinkers use ABV% information to find cost-effective ways of maximizing their alcohol consumption (Jones & Gregory, 2009;Maynard et al, 2017). While we think that few gamblers will want to purposively maximize their gambling losses, there are other issues from other public health domains of potential relevance gambling risk communication.…”