scholarly journals Objective Understanding of Front-of-Package Nutrition Labels: An International Comparative Experimental Study across 12 Countries

Nutrients ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manon Egnell ◽  
Zenobia Talati ◽  
Serge Hercberg ◽  
Simone Pettigrew ◽  
Chantal Julia
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Nutritional Quality ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Rating System ◽  
Label Free ◽  
Free Products ◽  
Nutrition Labels ◽  
Traffic Lights ◽  
Objective Understanding ◽  
International Comparative

Front-of-Package labels (FoPLs) are efficient tools for increasing consumers’ awareness of foods’ nutritional quality and encouraging healthier choices. A label’s design is likely to influence its effectiveness; however, few studies have compared the ability of different FoPLs to facilitate a consumer understanding of foods’ nutritional quality, especially across sociocultural contexts. This study aimed to assess consumers’ ability to understand five FoPLs [Health Star Rating system (HSR), Multiple Traffic Lights (MTL), Nutri-Score, Reference Intakes (RIs), and Warning symbol] in 12 different countries. In 2018, approximately 1000 participants per country were recruited and asked to rank three sets of label-free products (one set of three pizzas, one set of three cakes, and one set of three breakfast cereals) according to their nutritional quality, via an online survey. Participants were subsequently randomised to one of five FoPL conditions and were again asked to rank the same sets of products, this time with a FoPL displayed on pack. Changes in a participants’ ability to correctly rank products across the two tasks were assessed by FoPL using ordinal logistic regression. In all 12 countries and for all three food categories, the Nutri-Score performed best, followed by the MTL, HSR, Warning symbol, and RIs.

scholarly journals Objective understanding of the Nutri-score front-of-pack label by European consumers and its effect on food choices: an online experimental study

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manon Egnell ◽  
Zenobia Talati ◽  
Pilar Galan ◽  
Valentina A. Andreeva ◽  
Stefanie Vandevijvere ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Choice ◽  
Nutritional Quality ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Rating System ◽  
Nutrition Labels ◽  
Star Rating ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Traffic Lights ◽  
Food Packages ◽  
Objective Understanding

Abstract Background The effectiveness of Front-of-Pack nutrition Labels (FoPLs) may be influenced by national context. In light of the ongoing efforts to harmonize FoPLs across Europe, this study aimed to compare the effectiveness of five FoPLs (Health Star Rating system, Multiple Traffic Lights, Nutri-Score, Reference Intakes, Warning symbols) on consumer understanding and food choice in 12 European countries. Methods In 2018–2019, for three food categories, approximately 1000 participants per country were asked to select which food they would prefer to purchase between three products with distinct nutritional quality profiles, and then to rank the products by nutritional quality. Participants (N = 12,391 in total) completed these tasks first with no FoPL and then, after randomization to one of the five FoPLs, with a FoPL on the food packages. Associations between FoPLs and change in (i) nutritional quality of food choices and (ii) ability to correctly rank the products by nutritional quality were assessed with logistic regression models adjusted for sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics of participants, conducted overall and by country. Findings Compared with the Reference Intakes, the Nutri-Score (OR = 3.23[2.75–3.81]; p < 0.0001), followed by the Multiple Traffic Lights (OR = 1.68[1.42–1.98]; p < 0.0001), was the most effective FoPL in helping consumers identify the foods’ nutritional quality, overall and in each of the 12 countries. Differences between FoPLs regarding food choice modifications were smaller, but the effect of the Nutri-Score seemed slightly higher in eliciting healthier food choices overall compared with the Reference Intakes, followed by the Warning symbols, the Multiple Traffic Lights and the Health Star Rating system. Interpretation In the context of FoPL harmonization in Europe, these findings from an online experiment provide insights into the Nutri-Score’s effectiveness on European consumers.

scholarly journals Online Consumer Survey Comparing Different Front-of-Pack Labels in Greece

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 46
Author(s):  
Lamprini Kontopoulou ◽  
George Karpetas ◽  
Εvangelos C. Fradelos ◽  
Ioanna V. Papathanasiou ◽  
Foteini Malli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nutritional Quality ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Nutrition Labeling ◽  
Nutrition Labels ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Traffic Lights ◽  
Quality Of Food

According to the WHO, front-of-pack nutrition labeling provides simplified nutrition information in the form of symbols, colors or words that can help consumers understand the nutritional quality of food, thus leading them to healthier food choices. It is considered of the utmost importance to explore the knowledge and understanding of consumers about this form of nutrition labeling. The aim of this study was to investigate the understanding and perceptions of Greek consumers in response to five different front-of-pack nutrition labels (FoPLs): the Multiple Traffic Lights, Health Star Rating System, Guideline Daily Amounts, Warning Symbols and Nutri-Score. From April 2021 to June 2021, 1278 participants from Greece took part in an online survey where they were asked to rank three products according to their nutritional quality. The classification process was performed first without FoPLs and then with FoPLs. The ability to classify products according to their nutritional quality was evaluated with multinomial logistic regression models, and the Nutri-Score label presented greater improvements when compared to the GDA label for Greek consumers. The Nutri-Score seemed to better help the Greek consumers rank foods according to their nutritional value.

Objective understanding of the front-of-pack nutrition label Nutri-Score by European consumers

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Egnell ◽  
Z Talati ◽  
P Galan ◽  
V Andreeva ◽  
S Vandevijvere ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nutritional Quality ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Nutrition Labels ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
Traffic Lights ◽  
Nutrition Labelling ◽  
Food Packages ◽  
Objective Understanding ◽  
Quality Of Food

Abstract Background The effectiveness of Front-of-Pack nutrition Labels (FoPL) may be influenced by national context. In light of the ongoing efforts to harmonize nutrition labelling across Europe, the study aimed to compare the effectiveness of five FoPLs (Health Star Rating system [HSR], Multiple Traffic Lights [MTL], Nutri-Score, Reference Intakes [RIs], Warning symbol) in 12 European consumers. Methods In 2018-2019, for three food categories, approximately 1,000 participants per country were asked to select which food they would prefer to purchase between three products with distinct nutritional quality, and then to rank the products nutritional quality. Participants completed these tasks first with no FoPL and then, after randomization to one of the five FoPLs, with a FoPL on food packages. Associations between FoPLs and change in (i) nutritional quality of food choices, and (ii) ability to correctly rank the products nutritional quality were assessed with multivariable logistic regression models. Results Compared with the RIs, the Nutri-Score (OR = 3·23[2·75-3·81]; p &lt; 0.0001), followed by the MTL (OR = 1·68[1·42-1·98]; p &lt; 0.0001), was the most effective FoPL in helping participants identify the foods nutritional quality, overall and in each of the 12 countries. Differences between FoPLs regarding food choice modifications were smaller, but the effect of the Nutri-Score was slightly higher in eliciting healthier food choices overall compared with the RIs, followed by the Warning symbol, MTL and HSR. Conclusions These findings from an online experiment provide insights on the Nutri-Score's effectiveness in multiple European countries in the context of FoPL harmonization in Europe. Key messages The comparison of the effectiveness of front-of-pack labels highlighted the relative performance of various types of labels, the Nutri-Score showing a higher performance than other schemes. The higher performance of the Nutri-Score was identified for objective understanding and to a lesser extent food choices.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Different Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labels among Italian Consumers: Results from an Online Randomized Controlled Trial

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 2307
Author(s):  
Morgane Fialon ◽  
Manon Egnell ◽  
Zenobia Talati ◽  
Pilar Galan ◽  
Louise Dréano-Trécant ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nutritional Quality ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
P Value ◽  
Nutrition Labels ◽  
Traffic Lights ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Nutrient Profiles

In Italy, discussions are currently ongoing to implement a front-of-pack nutrition label (FoPL) while a growing number of European countries are adopting the Nutri-Score. The effectiveness of the Nutri-Score among Italian consumers requires further investigation. This study compared five FoPLs among Italian participants (Health Star Rating system, multiple traffic lights, Nutri-Score, reference intakes, warning symbol) in terms of food choices and understanding of the labels by consumers. In 2019, 1032 Italian consumers completed an online survey in which they were asked to select one product they would likely purchase from a set of three foods with different nutrient profiles and then classify the products within the set according to their nutritional quality, first with no label and then with one of the five FoPLs on the pack. While no significant difference across labels was observed for food choices, the Nutri-Score demonstrated the highest overall performance in helping consumers to correctly rank the products according to their nutritional quality compared to the reference intakes (OR = 2.18 (1.50–3.17), p-value < 0.0001). Our results provide new insights on the effectiveness of the Nutri-Score, which would be a relevant tool to inform Italian consumers on the nutritional quality of food products.

scholarly journals Consumers’ Perceptions of Five Front-of-Package Nutrition Labels: An Experimental Study Across 12 Countries

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1934 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zenobia Talati ◽  
Manon Egnell ◽  
Serge Hercberg ◽  
Chantal Julia ◽  
Simone Pettigrew
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Strong Predictor ◽  
Past Research ◽  
The Other ◽  
Warning Label ◽  
Nutrition Labels ◽  
Traffic Lights ◽  
Objective Performance ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk

Consumers’ perceptions of five front-of-pack nutrition label formats (health star rating (HSR), multiple traffic lights (MTL), Nutri-Score, reference intakes (RI) and warning label) were assessed across 12 countries (Argentina, Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Mexico, Singapore, Spain, the UK and the USA). Perceptions assessed included liking, trust, comprehensibility, salience and desire for the label to be mandatory. A sample of 12,015 respondents completed an online survey in which they rated one of the five (randomly allocated) front-of-pack labels (FoPLs) along the perception dimensions described above. Respondents viewing the MTL provided the most favourable ratings. Perceptions of the other FoPLs were mixed or neutral. No meaningful or consistent patterns were observed in the interactions between country and FoPL type, indicating that culture was not a strong predictor of general perceptions. The overall ranking of the FoPLs differed somewhat from previous research assessing their objective performance in terms of enhancing understanding of product healthiness, in which the Nutri-Score was the clear front-runner. Respondents showed a strong preference for mandatory labelling, regardless of label condition, which is consistent with past research showing that the application of labels across all products leads to healthier choices.

scholarly journals Testing the efficacy of and parents’ preferences for nutrition labels on children’s menus from a full-service chain restaurant: results of an online experiment

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (10) ◽  
pp. 1820-1831
Author(s):  
Rachel J L Prowse ◽  
Kirsten M Lee ◽  
Emily Chen ◽  
Fei Zuo ◽  
David Hammond ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Nutrition Information ◽  
Information Control ◽  
Perceived Effectiveness ◽  
Nutrition Labels ◽  
Traffic Lights ◽  
Service Chain ◽  
Online Study ◽  
Nutrition Labelling ◽  
Children's Nutrition

AbstractObjective:Test the efficacy and perceived effectiveness of nutrition labels on children’s menus from a full-service chain restaurant in an online study.Design:Using a between-groups experiment, parents were randomised to view children’s menus displaying one of five children’s nutrition labelling conditions: (i) No Nutrition Information (control); (ii) Calories Only; (iii) Calories + Contextual Statement (CS); (iv) Calories, Sodium + CS; or (v) Calories and Sodium in Traffic Lights + CS. Parents hypothetically ordered up to one entrée, side, beverage and dessert for their child, then rated and ranked all five labelling conditions on the level of perceived effectiveness.Setting:Online survey.Participants:998 parents with a 3–12 year old child.Results:Parents exposed to menus displaying ‘Calories, Sodium + CS’ selected significantly fewer calories ‘overall’ (entrées + side + dessert + beverage) compared to parents exposed to the control condition (−53·1 calories, P < 0·05). Parents selected ‘entrees’ with significantly fewer calories and lower sodium when exposed to menus with ‘Calories + CS’ (−24·3 calories, P < 0·05); ‘Calories, Sodium + CS’ (−25·4 calories, −56·1 mg sodium, P < 0·05 for both); and ‘Calories and Sodium in Traffic Lights + CS’ (−29·1 calories, −58·6 mg sodium, P < 0·05 for both). Parents exposed to menus with ‘Calories, Sodium + CS’ and ‘Calories and Sodium in Traffic Lights + CS’ were more likely to notice and understand nutrition information compared to other nuntrition labelling conditions. Parents perceived the menu with ‘Calories and Sodium in Traffic Lights + CS’ as most effective (P < 0·05).Conclusions:Menus disclosing calories, sodium and a contextual statement increased the proportion of parents who noticed and understood nutrition information, and resulted in parents selecting lower calorie and sodium entrées for their children in the hypothetical purchase task.

scholarly journals Nutri-Score: The Most Efficient Front-of-Pack Nutrition Label to Inform Portuguese Consumers on the Nutritional Quality of Foods and Help Them Identify Healthier Options in Purchasing Situations

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 4335
Author(s):  
Francisco Goiana-da-Silva ◽  
David Cruz-e-Silva ◽  
Catarina Nobre-da-Costa ◽  
Alexandre Morais Nunes ◽  
Morgane Fialon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nutritional Quality ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
P Value ◽  
Portuguese Population ◽  
Food Category ◽  
Nutrition Labels ◽  
Label Condition ◽  
Promising Strategy ◽  
Ranking Task

Several studies have identified Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labels (FoPLs) as a promising strategy to improve the nutritional quality of consumers’ food choices and encourage manufacturers to offer healthier products. This study aims to fill the evidence gap regarding the most effective FoPL among the Portuguese population. In total, 1059 Portuguese participants were recruited through a web panel provider and asked to declare their intended food choices and to rank three sets of products (pizza, cakes and breakfast cereals) according to their nutritional quality, first in the absence of any labelling, and then with a FoPL displayed on-pack (five FoPLs tested). Finally, participants were asked to answer nine statements related to perceptions of FoPLs. Results showed that participants improved their food choices, depending on the FoPL and the food category. All FoPLs led to a higher percentage of correct responses on the ranking task compared to the no label condition. The Nutri-Score was among the FoPLs producing the greatest improvement across all food categories compared to the reference intakes (OR = 6.45 [4.43–9.39], p-value < 0.0001) and facilitating the highest percentage to correctly rank products according to nutritional quality. This study suggests that, among the available options, Nutri-Score is the most efficient FoPL to inform Portuguese consumers of the nutritional quality of foods and help them identify healthier options in mock purchasing situations.

scholarly journals A Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating the Relative Effectiveness of the Multiple Traffic Light and Nutri-Score Front of Package Nutrition Labels

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric A. Finkelstein ◽  
Felicia Jia Ler Ang ◽  
Brett Doble ◽  
Wei Han Melvin Wong ◽  
Rob M. van Dam
Keyword(s):  
Diet Quality ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Relative Effectiveness ◽  
Healthy Eating Index ◽  
Grocery Store ◽  
Traffic Light ◽  
Nutrition Labels ◽  
Traffic Lights ◽  
Alternative Healthy Eating Index ◽  
And Control

The objective of this trial was to test two promising front-of-pack nutrition labels, 1) the United Kingdom’s Multiple Traffic Lights (MTL) label and 2) France’s Nutri-Score (NS), relative to a no-label control. We hypothesized that both labels would improve diet quality but NS would be more effective due to its greater simplicity. We tested this hypothesis via an online grocery store using a 3 × 3 crossover (within-person) design with 154 participants. Outcomes assessed via within person regression models include a modified Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI)-2010 (primary), average Nutri-Score, calories purchased, and singular measures of diet quality of purchase orders. Results show that both labels significantly improve modified AHEI scores relative to Control but neither is statistically superior using this measure. NS performed statistically better than MTL and Control based on average Nutri-Score, yet, unlike MTL it did not statistically reduce calories or sugar from beverages. This suggest that NS may be preferred if the goal is to improve overall diet quality but, because calories are clearly displayed on the label, MTL may perform better if the goal is to reduce total energy intake.

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