06.02.14
Front of package nutrition labels significantly improve consumers’ ability to make healthy choices and understand ingredient information, according to a new report published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The article, co-authored by Marianne Smith Edge, senior vice president for nutrition and food safety communications at the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation, also found that front-of-package labeling reduced consumers’ need to study the Nutrition Facts label.
The article is based on a 2010 study by the IFIC Foundation to examine consumer comprehension, ease of understanding and interpretation of nutrition information in the uniformly formatted, voluntary front-of-package labeling system that was under consideration by the Grocery Manufacturers Association and the Food Marketing Institute. This research was used to inform the framework for the Facts Up Front program, which is currently being implemented by the two groups.
The study involved 7,363 consumers examining products with four versions of a front-of-package label: 1) a control version with no nutrition information on the front of package, 2) one listing calories only, 3) one listing calories and nutrients to limit and 4) one listing calories along with nutrients to limit or encourage. However, all participants also were allowed to consult the Nutrition Facts panel. Participants were required to have purchased and consumed, within the past three months, products from both food categories in one of two groups: breakfast cereals and frozen entrees, or salad dressings and savory snacks.
Participants were asked to identify nutrient amounts and percent daily values per serving in products, and to rate the ease of answering those identifying questions. They were then asked which product (one of three in each food category) they perceived was the best choice nutritionally.
In general, the more nutrition information on the front of package, the better consumers were at identifying and comprehending nutritional attributes of the food. Notably, those with the lowest education level (some high school or less) showed proportionately higher gains in identification of nutrients and percent daily values, helping close the gap between those who better understand labels and those of lower education levels.
The survey also pointed to the importance of robust front-of-package information to those with lower incomes. While those with household income under $35,000 comprised 36% of survey participants, they comprised nearly half (48%) of all those who said they rarely or never used labels for purchasing decisions. Overall, 86% of survey respondents said they read a product’s Nutrition Facts label regularly or occasionally when purchasing it for the first time.
Among all respondents, label version 4 generally scored higher than the other versions on measures such as whether the front-of-package information was understandable, if it helped consumers make informed decisions and whether it was believable and trustworthy.
The article is based on a 2010 study by the IFIC Foundation to examine consumer comprehension, ease of understanding and interpretation of nutrition information in the uniformly formatted, voluntary front-of-package labeling system that was under consideration by the Grocery Manufacturers Association and the Food Marketing Institute. This research was used to inform the framework for the Facts Up Front program, which is currently being implemented by the two groups.
The study involved 7,363 consumers examining products with four versions of a front-of-package label: 1) a control version with no nutrition information on the front of package, 2) one listing calories only, 3) one listing calories and nutrients to limit and 4) one listing calories along with nutrients to limit or encourage. However, all participants also were allowed to consult the Nutrition Facts panel. Participants were required to have purchased and consumed, within the past three months, products from both food categories in one of two groups: breakfast cereals and frozen entrees, or salad dressings and savory snacks.
Participants were asked to identify nutrient amounts and percent daily values per serving in products, and to rate the ease of answering those identifying questions. They were then asked which product (one of three in each food category) they perceived was the best choice nutritionally.
In general, the more nutrition information on the front of package, the better consumers were at identifying and comprehending nutritional attributes of the food. Notably, those with the lowest education level (some high school or less) showed proportionately higher gains in identification of nutrients and percent daily values, helping close the gap between those who better understand labels and those of lower education levels.
The survey also pointed to the importance of robust front-of-package information to those with lower incomes. While those with household income under $35,000 comprised 36% of survey participants, they comprised nearly half (48%) of all those who said they rarely or never used labels for purchasing decisions. Overall, 86% of survey respondents said they read a product’s Nutrition Facts label regularly or occasionally when purchasing it for the first time.
Among all respondents, label version 4 generally scored higher than the other versions on measures such as whether the front-of-package information was understandable, if it helped consumers make informed decisions and whether it was believable and trustworthy.
