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Are Restaurants Really Supersizing America?

Author

Listed:
  • Anderson, Michael L.
  • Matsa, David A.
Abstract
While many researchers and policymakers infer from correlations between eating out and body weight that restaurants are a leading cause of obesity, a basic identification problem challenges these conclusions. We exploit the placement of Interstate highways in rural areas to obtain exogenous variation in the effective price of restaurants and examine the impact on body mass. We find no causal link between restaurant consumption and obesity. Analysis of food-intake micro-data suggests that consumers offset calories from restaurant meals by eating less at other times. We conclude that regulation targeting restaurants is unlikely to reduce obesity but could decrease consumer welfare.

Suggested Citation

  • Anderson, Michael L. & Matsa, David A., 2007. "Are Restaurants Really Supersizing America?," CUDARE Working Papers 37652, University of California, Berkeley, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:ucbecw:37652
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.37652
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety; Health Economics and Policy;

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • L51 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Economics of Regulation
    • L66 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Manufacturing - - - Food; Beverages; Cosmetics; Tobacco

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