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Labels Affect Food Choices, but in What Ways?
Swen J Kühne1, Ester Reijnen1, Gracinda Granja1
1School of Applied Psychology, ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Pfingstweidstrasse 96, P.O. Box 707, CH-8037 Zürich, Switzerland.
Nutrients
|August 12, 2022
Summary
Front-of-pack (FOP) labels on food products surprisingly increased overall purchases, including calories, despite identifying healthier options. Different label types had varied impacts on specific nutrient choices, like sugar reduction.
Area of Science:
- Consumer Behavior
- Nutritional Science
- Food Labeling Policy
Background:
- Front-of-pack (FOP) labels aim to guide consumers toward healthier food choices to combat obesity.
- Previous research indicates FOP labels have a limited impact on actual purchasing decisions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the differential effects of summary versus nutrient-specific FOP labels on food choices.
- To examine how label types influence the selection of healthier options based on metrics like calories and sugar.
Main Methods:
- A swipe task simulation involving 354 observers purchasing groceries for a group.
- Random assignment to five conditions: Nutri-Score, Health Flag (HFL), sugar-specific (manga, comic) labels, or a no-label control.
- Analysis of purchased products, total calories, and specific nutrient content (sugar).
Main Results:
- FOP label conditions resulted in a significant increase in the number of products purchased (+7.3) and total calories (+1732 kcal) compared to the control.
- Different label types demonstrated varied effects on specific nutrient purchases; for example, manga labels reduced sugar acquisition.
- An 'averaging bias' or 'licensing effect' is proposed, where purchasing healthy items may license the purchase of unhealthy ones.
Conclusions:
- FOP labels, while identifying healthy foods, may inadvertently increase overall consumption due to compensatory purchasing behaviors.
- The effectiveness of FOP labels varies depending on the label type and the specific health metric considered.
- Further research is needed to understand the complex interplay between FOP labeling, consumer psychology, and food purchasing behavior.
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