Nutrition label formats on packages
In Europe, it remains to be shown whether uniform front-of-pack nutrition labeling can increase consumers’ perceived capability of making healthful choices. Furthermore, it is not known how nutrition labeling formats should be designed. The study therefore pursued the following goals:
- To assess the influence of different nutrition labeling formats on healthy food decision-making
- To reveal cultural differences and the relevance of food characteristics (sweet vs. salty, big vs. small portions)
The study
The study was conducted among 1,000 consumers in Germany and in Poland. Consumers were asked to choose one savory snack (or one sweet snack) and state their preferred product from a choice set of 10 products (or an enlarged set of 20 products). They were asked to choose the food item they would choose it as if it was a normal shopping trip. In a second step, participants were asked to choose the product that they believed was most healthful. The formatting of the nutrition labels was manipulated between participants. It included the percentage of guideline daily amount, color coding schemes, and text describing low, medium, and high content of each nutrient. All information referred to the nutritional values for sugar, fat, saturated fats, and salt. Furthermore, the calorie content was shown. Participants were not informed about the aim of the study when they chose the products (but afterwards).
Unhealthy food decisions despite nutrition labeling
The results showed that consumers have a tendency to select tasty but unhealthy food items if they have a free choice (as they normally have). The choice is even more unhealthful than a random choice would have predicted. The most positive effects on food healthfulness was achieved by providing healthy alternatives to consumers and reminding them to make a healthy food choice. The effect of nutrition labeling was small (or negligible) compared to these measures. In Germany, the presence of the traffic-light colors increased the likelihood of a more healthful choice, but there was no effect by providing the percentage of the recommended daily allowance. Furthermore, nutrition labeling did not increase the explicitly measured motivation of consumers to choose healthy food items.
How to create a health-promoting environment?
Based on the results it can be concluded that (1) environments have to be designed in a way that the effort to obtain unhealthy food items is higher than the effort of obtaining healthy food items. This can be realized by specific placements of foods in stores, for example. Fruit and vegetables can be placed in front of unhealthy food items. (2) Consumers should be reminded of health-promoting goals while shopping (e.g., via subtle stimuli in the environment, which can be provided through different media, such as the mobile Internet on smartphones). (3) Although nutrition labeling has only little impact on healthy food decision-making, traffic-light colors can support consumers reach long-term health goals.
Contact:
Department of Sport & Health Management
Prof. Dr. Jörg Königstorfer
Secretary: Mirjam Eggers
Uptown München Campus D
Georg-Brauchle-Ring 60/62
80992 Munich
Phone: +49.89.289.24559
Fax +49.89.289.24642
info.mgt@sg.tum.de