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Updated: Jan 15, 2026

Methods for Presenting Real-world Objects Under Controlled Laboratory Conditions
Published on: June 21, 2019
Impact of whole-grain labelling on food choice and perceived healthfulness: A randomised choice experiment
Agnivo Sengupta1, Kathy Trieu1, Eleanor J Beck2
1The George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
Background And Aims:
Whole-grain intake is critical to lower cardio-metabolic disease risk, yet global consumption remains below recommended levels. Online grocery shopping offers an opportunity to provide consumers with clearer whole-grain content information, potentially leading to healthier choices. This study assessed whether whole-grain labelling in an online shopping context could increase selection of whole-grain products and perceived healthfulness.
Methods And Results:
Australian adults (n = 2013) participated in an online choice experiment, where respondents were randomised to either an intervention (with colour-coded whole-grain labelling) or a control group (no labelling). All participants were shown four food categories, each with three food alternatives varying in whole-grain content. For each food category, participants were asked to select which product they would purchase and rank products from most to least healthy. Prevalence ratios for selecting the 'best choice' (i.e. highest in whole grains) and correctly ranking products healthfulness were calculated using log binomial regression. The prevalence of choosing the 'best choice' product was significant, between 1.33 (95 % CI 1.19-1.48; p < 0.001) and 1.77 (1.58-1.99; p < 0.001) times as high in the intervention group compared to the control group across food categories. The prevalence of correctly ranking product healthfulness was significantly higher in the intervention group, with prevalence ratios ranging from 1.37 (95 % CI: 1.24-1.50; p < 0.001) to 2.00 (1.81-2.22; p < 0.001) across food categories.
Conclusion:
Providing whole-grain information and interpretive labelling at the online point-of-sale may increase choice of whole-grain food and enhance perceptions of healthfulness. This strategy has the potential to improve public health by increasing whole-grain consumption.
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