Environmental harm labels on fast-food menus influence real-world orders
Official title: Longitudinal Trial Evaluating the Effect of Environmental Harm Menu Labels on the Healthfulness of Real-World Fast-Food Meal Orders
Run by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health · NCT07910604 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study tests whether seeing traffic-light environmental harm labels on fast-food menus over seven weeks can lead adults in the Baltimore-Washington area to order healthier lunches.
Quick facts
| Study type | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Ages | 18 Years to 64 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 450 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Baltimore, Maryland) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | November 2, 2026 |
| Main results expected | April 1, 2029 |
| Study ends | April 1, 2029 |
| Registry record updated | November 4, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07910604 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
Adults 18–64 who eat fast food at least twice per month and reside in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area.
✕Probably not a fit
Participants who do not respond to labels or whose meals are constrained by labeling do not see a clear benefit.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
Adults aged 18 to 64 who frequently eat fast food will be randomized to see either a control QR code label or traffic-light style environmental harm labels on two alternating menus, and will order one lunch per week for seven weeks through a study ordering site with delivery the following day. The trial uses real-world ordering and delivery to assess changes in the healthfulness of meals. Recruitment targets 450 participants from the greater Baltimore/Washington, DC area, with randomization stratified by label sequence and menu presentation. The intervention compares two labeling approaches derived from preliminary eco-label work, applied in a real-world setting rather than hypothetical choices. Primary outcomes focus on the healthfulness of actual ordered meals over the seven weeks, with data collected from the ordering platform and delivery records.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the labels could help people make healthier fast-food choices in everyday settings.
How similar studies have gone: Prior eco-label studies showed promise in online or hypothetical settings; this trial tests real-world applicability with food delivery.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Aged 18 to 64 years * Consumes fast food two or more times per month * Willing to eat meat * Lives or works within the greater Washington, D.C./Baltimore metropolitan area, defined as the counties and county equivalents within the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD and Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Core Based Statistical Areas (excluding Jefferson County, West Virginia) * Has access to the internet during the daytime * Has access to an internet-capable device (smartphone, tablet, or computer) * Able to send and receive phone calls and text messages at a unique primary phone number (number if not affiliated with a separate prospective or enrolled participant record) * Available to receive a weekly lunch delivery one day per week (Tuesday-Friday, 11:00 am - 3:00 pm) for seven weeks at a consistent address within the sample frame (this includes screening for potentially disruptive travel plans during ordering period) * Within the delivery zone for both restaurants in the study * Willing to complete training on lunch ordering procedures * Willing and able to complete dietary recalls and surveys Exclusion Criteria: * Under 18 years of age * Over 64 years of age * Consumes fast food fewer than two times per month * Pescatarian, vegetarian, or vegan (due to menu content) * Lives and works outside of the greater Washington, D.C./Baltimore metropolitan area * Lacks access to the internet during the daytime * Lacks access to an internet-capable device * Unable to send and receive phone calls and text messages at a unique primary phone number (phone number is affiliated with a separate prospective or enrolled participant record) * Lives or works outside the delivery zone for either or both study restaurants * Unavailable to receive seven weeks of consecutive lunch deliveries on a selected day Tuesday through Friday between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm at a consistent address within the sample frame * Unwilling to complete training on lunch ordering procedures * Unwilling or unable to complete dietary recalls and surveys * Fails verification via Cloudfare Turnstile check when accessing REDCap Interest Survey * Answers the hidden bot-detection question embedded in the Interest Survey
Where it's running
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Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Baltimore, Maryland, United States Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Julia Wolfson, PhD, MPP — Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
- Study coordinator: Nina Carr, MPH, MBA
- Email: ncarr6@jhu.edu
- Phone: 240-405-2823
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.