In 2022, the FDA introduced 15 potential health labels to provide key nutritional information about foods to help Americans make healthier dietary choices. Until now, however, the success of these labels on consumer preferences has remained unclear.
In the current study, researchers investigated the efficacy of such labels. To do so, they recruited 308 adult participants and asked them to review front-of-package label designs for a strawberry Greek yogurt and to indicate how much they would be willing to pay for it. One package included a 'healthy' label, one a 'great taste' label, one both labels, and one neither label.
Overall, participants were willing to spend 18% less for the 'healthy' yoghurt, and 25% less for the yoghurt labeled both 'healthy' and 'great taste'. When presented alone, however, 'great taste' labels did not affect particpants' willingness to pay.
"Simply putting 'healthy' on a product may not be enough- it can even backfire if consumers are left wondering what qualifies the food as healthy or if they associate the label with less desirable attributes, such as poor taste," said study author Jianhui "Jeffrey" Liu, a doctoral candidate in the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, in a press release.
The researchers noted, however, that the negative effect linked to 'healthy' labels was reduced when paired with the following text: '"The product you have just observed features a 'healthy' symbol. This label indicates that the product meets the FDA's proposed criteria for being designated as 'healthy,' which specifically requires the product to be low in saturated fat, added sugar and sodium."
"This research highlights the importance of helping consumers understand what a label means," said Liu.
The researchers concluded that their findings highlight the importance of credible, detailed information and targeted educational campaigns to increase the effectiveness of health labels. They noted that their findings might inform policymakers and stakeholders in developing more effective food labeling strategies.
Sources: Science Daily, Food Policy
