What consumers don't know can hurt them:: Consumer evaluations and disease risk perceptions of restaurant menu items

Legislation that mandates the provision of nutrition information on restaurant menus has been proposed in several states. This research presents findings from an experiment that investigates how the provision of nutrition information and a health claim influence consumers' attitudes towards the product, nutrition-related attitudes, disease risk perceptions, source credibility judgments, and nutrient value estimates for restaurant menu items. In addition, how the nutrition frame (or context) within which a menu item is evaluated moderates these effects is examined. The results indicate that providing target item nutrition information, as well as a nutritional context, affects consumers' attitudes, perceptions, and judgments. In addition, the context interacts with the provision of both a health claim and nutrition information for the target item. The theoretical, managerial, consumer welfare, and public policy implications of our research findings are discussed.