A 20-Country Comparative Assessment of the Effectiveness of Nutri-Score Vs. NutrInform Battery Front-of-Pack Nutritional Labels on Consumer Subjective Understanding and Liking

Overview

Journal Nutrients

Date 2023 Jul 14

PMID 37447177

Authors

Jun He

Marco Francesco Mazzu

Angelo Baccelloni

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The incidence of overweight and obesity has generated significant concerns among European consumers and institutions. As part of a set of measures undertaken, the European Union (EU) called for one harmonized mandatory front-of-pack nutritional label (FOPL) to improve consumer food nutritional knowledge and encourage healthier and more informed food choices. Different types of FOPLs, ranging from nutrient-specific labels-such as the NutrInform Battery-to summary labels-such as the Nutri-Score-have been developed and introduced in different markets, reporting different degrees of effectiveness in terms of understanding. The aim of this study is to provide actionable insights by analyzing a specific part of the complex consumers' decision-making process in food when aided by FOPLs. Adopting a between-subject experiment on a sample of 4560 respondents in 20 EU member countries, the study compares the consumer subjective understanding and liking of two labels currently under examination by the EU bodies, the NutrInform Battery and the Nutri-Score. At an aggregated level, the results show that NutrInform Battery is more effective than Nutri-Score in improving consumer subjective understanding and leads to a higher liking towards the label. A detailed by-country analysis highlights either a superiority or a parity of NutrInform Battery for subjective understanding and liking. Theoretically, this study, through a large panel of respondents, adds the fundamental perspective on subjective understanding, complementing the findings of extant research on objective understanding, and further clarifies the role of liking as a complementary element in the food decision-making process toward heathier and more informed food choices. This might be of significant relevance in providing additional evidence that can be used by policymakers in their attempt toward the selection of a uniform FOPL at EU level.

References

Baccelloni A, Giambarresi A, Mazzu M . Effects on Consumers' Subjective Understanding and Liking of Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labels: A Study on Slovenian and Dutch Consumers. Foods. 2021; 10(12). PMC: 8700679. DOI: 10.3390/foods10122958. View

Hamlin R, McNeill L, Moore V . The impact of front-of-pack nutrition labels on consumer product evaluation and choice: an experimental study. Public Health Nutr. 2014; 18(12):2126-34. PMC: 10271474. DOI: 10.1017/S1368980014002997. View

Egnell M, Talati Z, Galan P, Andreeva V, Vandevijvere S, Gombaud M . Objective understanding of the Nutri-score front-of-pack label by European consumers and its effect on food choices: an online experimental study. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2020; 17(1):146. PMC: 7678195. DOI: 10.1186/s12966-020-01053-z. View

Mejean C, Macouillard P, Peneau S, Hercberg S, Castetbon K . Consumer acceptability and understanding of front-of-pack nutrition labels. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2013; 26(5):494-503. DOI: 10.1111/jhn.12039. View

Neal B, Crino M, Dunford E, Gao A, Greenland R, Li N . Effects of Different Types of Front-of-Pack Labelling Information on the Healthiness of Food Purchases-A Randomised Controlled Trial. Nutrients. 2017; 9(12). PMC: 5748735. DOI: 10.3390/nu9121284. View

Galan P, Egnell M, Salas-Salvado J, Babio N, Pettigrew S, Hercberg S . Understanding of different front-of-package labels by the Spanish population: Results of a comparative study. Endocrinol Diabetes Nutr (Engl Ed). 2019; 67(2):122-129. DOI: 10.1016/j.endinu.2019.03.013. View

Machin L, Aschemann-Witzel J, Curutchet M, Gimenez A, Ares G . Does front-of-pack nutrition information improve consumer ability to make healthful choices? Performance of warnings and the traffic light system in a simulated shopping experiment. Appetite. 2017; 121:55-62. DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2017.10.037. View

Talati Z, Egnell M, Hercberg S, Julia C, Pettigrew S . Consumers' Perceptions of Five Front-of-Package Nutrition Labels: An Experimental Study Across 12 Countries. Nutrients. 2019; 11(8). PMC: 6723043. DOI: 10.3390/nu11081934. View

Mazzu M, Romani S, Marozzo V, Giambarresi A, Baccelloni A . Improving the understanding of key nutritional elements to support healthier and more informed food choices: The effect of front-of-pack label bundles. Nutrition. 2022; 105:111849. DOI: 10.1016/j.nut.2022.111849. View

10.

Nestle M . Public Health Implications of Front-of-Package Labels. Am J Public Health. 2018; 108(3):320-321. PMC: 5803829. DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2017.304285. View

11.

Turck D, Bohn T, Castenmiller J, de Henauw S, Hirsch-Ernst K, Knutsen H . Scientific advice related to nutrient profiling for the development of harmonised mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labelling and the setting of nutrient profiles for restricting nutrition and health claims on foods. EFSA J. 2022; 20(4):e07259. PMC: 9016720. DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2022.7259. View

12.

Pettigrew S, Jongenelis M, Miller C, Chapman K . A path analysis model of factors influencing children's requests for unhealthy foods. Eat Behav. 2017; 24:95-101. DOI: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2016.12.006. View

13.

Ducrot P, Mejean C, Julia C, Kesse-Guyot E, Touvier M, Fezeu L . Effectiveness of Front-Of-Pack Nutrition Labels in French Adults: Results from the NutriNet-Santé Cohort Study. PLoS One. 2015; 10(10):e0140898. PMC: 4624978. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0140898. View

14.

Egnell M, Ducrot P, Touvier M, Alles B, Hercberg S, Kesse-Guyot E . Objective understanding of Nutri-Score Front-Of-Package nutrition label according to individual characteristics of subjects: Comparisons with other format labels. PLoS One. 2018; 13(8):e0202095. PMC: 6107140. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0202095. View

15.

Mazzu M, Romani S, Gambicorti A . Effects on consumers' subjective understanding of a new front-of-pack nutritional label: a study on Italian consumers. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2020; 72(3):357-366. DOI: 10.1080/09637486.2020.1796932. View

16.

Andreeva V, Egnell M, Touvier M, Galan P, Julia C, Hercberg S . International evidence for the effectiveness of the front-of-package nutrition label called Nutri-Score. Cent Eur J Public Health. 2021; 29(1):76-79. DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a6239. View

17.

Sacks G, Rayner M, Swinburn B . Impact of front-of-pack 'traffic-light' nutrition labelling on consumer food purchases in the UK. Health Promot Int. 2009; 24(4):344-52. DOI: 10.1093/heapro/dap032. View

18.

Egnell M, Galan P, Farpour-Lambert N, Talati Z, Pettigrew S, Hercberg S . Compared to other front-of-pack nutrition labels, the Nutri-Score emerged as the most efficient to inform Swiss consumers on the nutritional quality of food products. PLoS One. 2020; 15(2):e0228179. PMC: 7046267. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228179. View

19.

Andreeva V, Egnell M, Handjieva-Darlenska T, Talati Z, Touvier M, Galan P . Bulgarian consumers' objective understanding of front-of-package nutrition labels: a comparative, randomized study. Arch Public Health. 2020; 78:35. PMC: 7282118. DOI: 10.1186/s13690-020-00416-z. View

20.

Vandevijvere S, Vermote M, Egnell M, Galan P, Talati Z, Pettigrew S . Consumers' food choices, understanding and perceptions in response to different front-of-pack nutrition labelling systems in Belgium: results from an online experimental study. Arch Public Health. 2020; 78:30. PMC: 7119293. DOI: 10.1186/s13690-020-00404-3. View