Children line up in a school canteen waiting to be served their lunch by a dinner lady.

Labelling food with the physical activity required to burn off calories reduces sugary food purchases in secondary school pupils, study finds

A trial at English secondary schools of alternative food labelling – which displayed the number of minutes of physical activity needed to burn off calories – reduced the purchase of sugary foods by a small amount, new research has found.

The study was led by Dr Natalia Iris and Professor Amanda Daley, who are part of Loughborough University’s Centre for Lifestyle Medicine and Behaviour (CLiMB). 

It analysed almost 100,000 purchases of cakes and biscuits from 11 school canteens over a six-week period. Six schools used physical activity calorie equivalent (PACE) food labelling on their sweet treats, and five schools continued with their usual practice. 

PACE food labelling aims to show how many minutes or miles of physical activity are needed to burn off the calories in a particular food or drink. For example, eating 230 calories in a small bar of chocolate would require about 46 minutes of walking or 23 minutes of running to burn off these calories. 

Analysis of school canteen data found a reduction in cake and biscuit purchases in intervention schools versus comparators of approximately 11 items per week per 100 students. 

Speaking about the findings, Dr Natalia Iris said: “Whilst PACE labelling appeared to reduce the purchase of these sweet treats by only a small amount, the study demonstrates that this type of food labelling may be a useful approach to reducing the consumption of sugary foods in young people in the school environment. 

“The implementation of PACE labelling appeared feasible for some schools, but others had concerns about the adverse effects this type of labelling may have on the well-being of students. It is important to consider this when looking at the wider introduction of PACE labelling.” 

Professor Amanda Daley added: “Evidence shows that even a relatively small reduction in daily calorie intake (100 calories) combined with a sustained increase in physical activity is likely to be good for health and could help curb obesity at the population level. PACE labelling may help people, of all ages, achieve this.” 

The paper, Physical activity calorie equivalent (PACE) food labelling on discretionary foods in secondary school canteens in England: an efficacy cluster randomised controlled trial, has been published in the International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical activity 

If anyone would like any guidance or support regarding eating disorders, the charity Beat has helpline services available 365 days a year. For more information on the services visit: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk/support-services 

Notes for editors

Press release reference number: PR 25/35

Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.

It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme and named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2024 QS World University Rankings – the eighth year running.

Loughborough is ranked 6th in The UK Complete University Guide 2025, 10th in the Guardian University League Table 2025 and 10th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025. 

Loughborough was also named University of the Year for Sport in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025 - the fourth time it has been awarded the prestigious title. 

Loughborough is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’, and in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 over 90% of its research was rated as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally-excellent’. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, Loughborough has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.

The Loughborough University London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking.

Categories

Health and medicineResearch