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 < 0.0001), followed by the MTL (OR = 1·68[1·42-1·98]; p < 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 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.

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 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 Consumers’ Responses to Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labelling: Results from a Sample from The Netherlands

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1817 ◽  
Author(s):  
Egnell ◽  
Talati ◽  
Gombaud ◽  
Galan ◽  
Hercberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Nutritional Quality ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Star Rating ◽  
Traffic Lights ◽  
Nutrition Labelling ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Overall Performance ◽  
Nutritional Profiles

Front-of-pack labels (FoPLs) are efficient tools for helping consumers identify healthier food products. Although discussions on nutritional labelling are currently ongoing in Europe, few studies have compared the effectiveness of FoPLs in European countries, including the Netherlands. This study aimed to compare five FoPLs among Dutch participants (the Health Star Rating (HSR) system, Multiple Traffic Lights (MTL), Nutri-Score, Reference Intakes (RIs), and Warning symbols) in terms of perception and understanding of the labels and food choices. In 2019, 1032 Dutch consumers were recruited and asked to select one product from among a set of three foods with different nutritional profiles, and then rank the products within the sets according to their nutritional quality. These tasks were performed with no label and then with one of the five FoPLs on the package, depending on the randomization arm. Finally, participants were questioned on their perceptions regarding the label to which they were exposed. Regarding perceptions, all FoPLs were favorably perceived but with only marginal differences between FoPLs. While no significant difference across labels was observed for food choices, the Nutri-Score demonstrated the highest overall performance in helping consumers rank the products according to their nutritional quality.

scholarly journals Prospective associations between the nutritional quality of foods consumed (graded by the FSAm-NPS underlying the Nutri-Score) and mortality in Europe

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (OCE2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mélanie Deschasaux ◽  
Inge Huybrechts ◽  
Neil Murphy ◽  
Chantal Julia ◽  
Serge Hercberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Diseases ◽  
Mortality Risk ◽  
Nutritional Quality ◽  
Respiratory Diseases ◽  
Food Products ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Competing Events ◽  
Quality Of Food ◽  
Related Mortality

AbstractIn 2017, 11 million deaths related to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) were attributable to dietary risk factors (GBD, 2019). Helping consumers make healthier food choices hence appears as one key strategy to prevent NCDs-related mortality. To this end, political authorities are considering implementing a simple label to reflect the nutritional quality of food products. The five-colour Nutri-Score label, derived from the Nutrient Profiling System of the British Food Standards Agency (FSAm-NPS), has been chosen by several countries in Europe (France, Belgium, Spain). Yet, its implementation is still voluntary per EU labelling regulation. Scientific evidence is therefore needed regarding the relevance of the FSAm-NPS at the European level. Following on our results showing an increased risk of cancer related to the consumption of foods with a high FSAm-NPS score in the EPIC cohort, our objective is now to focus on NCDs-related mortality. Our prospective analyses included 501,594 adults from the EPIC cohort (1992–2015, median follow-up: 17.2 years). Mortality events occurring < 2 years after recruitment were excluded, leaving 50,743 death events (main causes: cancer, n = 21,971; cerebro/cardiovascular diseases, n = 12,407; respiratory diseases, n = 2,796). Usual food intakes were assessed with standardized country-specific diet assessment methods. The FSAm-NPS was calculated for each food/beverage using their 100-g content in energy, sugar, saturated fatty acid, sodium, fibres, proteins, and fruits/vegetables/legumes/nuts. The individual FSAm-NPS Dietary Index (DI) is obtained as an energy-weighted mean of the FSAm-NPS scores of all food items usually consumed by a participant. Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for confounding factors, including personal history of cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes were computed. Fine and Gray models were also tested to take into account competing events for cause-specific mortality analyses. A higher FSAm-NPS DI score, reflecting a lower nutritional quality of the diet, was associated with a higher mortality risk overall (HRQ5vs.Q1 = 1.06 [95%CI: 1.02–1.09], P-trend < 0.001) and by cancer (HRQ5vs.Q1 = 1.06 [1.01–1.11], P-trend = 0.003) and respiratory diseases (HRQ5vs.Q1 = 1.33 [1.16–1.52], P-trend < 0.001), with similar results in competing events analyses. Associations with cerebro-/cardiovascular diseases mortality were weaker (HRQ5vs.Q1 = 1.05 [0.98,1.11], P-trend = 0.04) and no longer statistically significant in competing events analyses. In this large multinational European cohort, the consumption of food products with a higher FSAm-NPS score (lower nutritional quality of the foods consumed) was associated with a higher mortality risk, supporting the relevance of the FSAm-NPS to grade the nutritional quality of food products for public health applications (e.g, Nutri-Score) aiming to guide the consumers towards healthier food choices.

Can an On-Shelf Nutrition Labelling System Improve the Nutritional Quality of Food Purchases in Supermarkets?

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
pp. S32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Hobin ◽  
Jocelyn Sacco ◽  
Lana Vanderlee ◽  
Laura Rosella ◽  
Mary L’abbe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nutritional Quality ◽  
Nutrition Labelling ◽  
Food Purchases ◽  
Quality Of Food ◽  
Labelling System

scholarly journals Nutritional quality of food consumed (graded by the FSAm-NPS / Nutri-Score) and mortality in Europe

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Deschasaux ◽  
I Huybrechts ◽  
N Murphy ◽  
C Julia ◽  
S Hercberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Nutritional Quality ◽  
Proportional Hazards ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Food Products ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Cox Proportional Hazards ◽  
Quality Of Food ◽  
Health Applications

Abstract Background Unhealthy diets are major contributors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and related deaths. To help consumers make healthier food choices, political authorities are considering implementing a simple label to reflect the nutritional quality of food products. The Nutri-Score, based on the nutrient profiling system of the Food Standards Agency (FSAm-NPS), was chosen by several countries in Europe (France, Belgium, Spain). Yet, its implementation is only voluntary per EU regulation. Scientific evidence is therefore needed regarding the relevance of the FSAm-NPS at the European level. Hence, our objective is to study how the nutritional quality of foods consumed graded by the FSAm-NPS relates to NCDs-related mortality in European populations. Methods Our prospective analyses included 501,594 adults from the EPIC cohort (1992-2015, median follow-up: 17.2y). Usual food intakes were assessed with standardized country-specific methods. The FSAm-NPS was calculated using the 100g content of each food in energy, sugar, saturated fatty acid, sodium, fibres, proteins, and fruits/vegetables/legumes/nuts. Multi-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were computed. Results The consumption of foods with a higher FSAm-NPS score (lower nutritional quality) was associated with a higher risk of mortality overall (n = 50,743 events: HRQ5vs.Q1=1.06 [95%CI: 1.02-1.09], P-trend&lt;0.001) and by cancer (n = 21,971 events: HRQ5vs.Q1=1.06 [1.01-1.11], P-trend=0.003), respiratory diseases (n = 2,796 events: HRQ5vs.Q1=1.33 [1.16-1.52], P-trend&lt;0.001) and cardiovascular diseases, although more weakly (n = 12,407 events: HRQ5vs.Q1=1.05 [0.98,1.11], P-trend=0.04). Conclusions In this large multinational European cohort, consuming foods with a higher FSAm-NPS score was associated with higher mortality, supporting the relevance of the FSAm-NPS to grade the nutritional quality of food products for public health applications (e.g, Nutri-Score) to guide the consumers towards healthier food choices. Key messages The consumption of food products with a lower nutritional quality as graded by the FSAm-NPS score was associated with higher mortality in the large multinational European EPIC cohort. This adds support to the relevance of the FSAm-NPS to grade the nutritional quality of foodstuffs for public health applications (e.g. Nutri-Score label) to help consumers make healthier food choices.

scholarly journals A citizen perspective on nutritional warnings as front-of-pack labels: insights for the design of accompanying policy measures

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 3450-3461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gastón Ares ◽  
Jessica Aschemann-Witzel ◽  
María Rosa Curutchet ◽  
Lucía Antúnez ◽  
Ximena Moratorio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Nutrition Labelling ◽  
Food Purchases ◽  
Food Packages ◽  
Policy Measures ◽  
High Level ◽  
Labelling Scheme

AbstractObjectiveNutritional warnings have recently been suggested as a simplified front-of-pack nutrition labelling scheme to facilitate citizens’ ability to identify unhealthful products and discourage their consumption. However, citizens’ perspective on this policy is still under-researched. The objective of the present work was to study how citizens perceive nutritional warnings and to evaluate public support of this policy, with the goal of deriving recommendations for the design of policy measures accompanying the introduction of nutritional warnings.DesignAn online survey with 1416 Uruguayan citizens, aged 18–75 years, 61 % female, was conducted. Participants had to answer a series of questions (open-ended and multiple-choice) related to their perception of warnings as a front-of-package nutrition labelling scheme.ResultsParticipants showed a positive attitude towards nutritional warnings, which were regarded as easy to understand and to identify on food packages. The majority of respondents emphasized that they would take nutritional warnings into account when making their food choices, stating that they would allow them to make informed choices and, consequently, to increase the quality of their diet and their health status. Health motivation appeared as a crucial driver for taking nutritional warnings into consideration.ConclusionsA high level of public support for nutritional warnings was observed. Responses can be used to derive a range of recommendations for a policy mix that should synergistically support the introduction of nutritional warnings and encourage citizens to take them into account when making their food purchases.

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