(New York, NY) – This week, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) have published a joint recommendation for new food expiration labeling guidelines. These organizations are taking their lead from the United Kingdom’s food expiry labeling regulations, which were instituted recently in order to coax British consumers to stop throwing away food that was edible, yet was labeled such that it appeared not to be fresh.

On the heels of the recommendations from the GMA and FMI, a two-year-old study by State University of New York (SUNY) professor Dr. Frans Vanderlyn has surfaced, recommending a practical way for consumers to take these matters into their own hands. Dr. Vanerlyn calls his recommendation the “Think Twice” method.

“It’s very simple. Whenever you are thinking about eating a particular food item: think twice,” Dr. Vanderlyn explained. “95.6% of our survey respondents had a better food experience when they practiced this simple rule.” Dr. Vanderlyn was pleased that his study was at last being praised.

The study included a survey of five hundred customers at each of the 3,002 Applebee’s restaurants in the greater New York metropolitan area. Waitstaff at the restaurants were instructed to urge half of their customers to question each of their order selections with the exact words, “Are you sure? Why don’t you think twice about that.” After their meal, all customers were asked several questions during an exit interview to determine their overall eating experience.

The study found that customers in the control group, who were not subject to the waitstaff questioning, were more likely to order salads, ate relatively small portions, ordered few desserts, and had overall average eating experiences.

Customers who were asked to “think twice,” about their order were 90% less likely to order salads, 150% more likely to order large portions, and without exception ordered dessert. All of the customers in this group reported having a high level of satisfaction with their eating experience.

“I just love this restaurant, ” said Joe Smith, an Applebee’s customer who was asked to think twice about his menu selections. “My wife is always trying to get me to eat more veggies, and usually doesn’t allow me to order big desserts. But this time, I just felt empowered to eat what I really wanted.” Mrs. Smith had no comment.

With the resurfacing of this study, Applebee’s restaurants in the greater New York metropolitan area are in the process of removing their salad bars and replacing them with dessert bars. They are also removing vegetables from their entree offerings, removing lettuce and tomato from their burgers, offering more bacon-oriented dishes, and increasing the portion size of specialty sauces on all menu items.

Applebee’s International (NASDAQ: APPB) share price has doubled in the past day, and is expected by market analysts to continue rising far into the next fiscal quarter.