Health Literacy and Its Associations with Understanding and Perception of Front-of-Package Nutrition Labels among Higher Education Students

Abstract

(1) Background: Nutrition labels on the front of food packages have increasingly become the focus of research. However, too few studies have placed special emphasis on nutritionally at-risk subpopulations, such as young adults or those with low literacy/numeracy skills. The present study aimed to assess both the perception and objective understanding of three front-of-package labeling (FOPL) formats currently in use on the Belgian market, i.e., the Nutri-Score, Reference Intakes, and Multiple Traffic Lights, among students of varying health literacy (HL) levels. (2) Methods: A web-based survey was carried out among 2295 students of tertiary education in the province of Liège, Belgium. The questionnaire included questions related to general characteristics, objective understanding, and perception in response to the assigned FOPL format and level of HL. (3) Results: With respect to objective understanding, the Nutri-Score outperformed all other labels across all HL levels, and it was similarly understood in students of varying HL levels. Several students’ characteristics appeared to be associated with each cluster of perception, with the Nutri-Score cluster having the highest percentages of disadvantaged students, i.e., those with inadequate HL, from non-university institutions, with low self-estimated nutrition knowledge, and with low self-estimated diet quality. (4) Conclusion: Overall, the findings supported the Nutri-Score as particularly effective in guiding students in their food choices. Of particular importance is the fact that the summarized and graded color-coded nutritional label would be a useful strategy for those disadvantaged by limited HL.

Food Knowledge for Better Nutrition and Health: A Study among University Students in Portugal

“…For those with lower food literacy, tools such as the Nutri-Score or the Nutritional Traffic Light provide easy access to information that helps them make better food choices. Hoge et al [63] studied a sample of university students in Belgium and concluded that the Nutri-Score is helpful to guide students in their food choices. A study conducted in Portugal by Silva et al [64] showed that consumers usually read the food labels and recognize their importance, but fail to fully understand all the information contained therein.…”

Rôle de la nutrition dans la prévention des maladies chroniques. Un enjeu de santé publique

“…Another study carried out in 2022 among 2,295 Belgian students showed, with respect to objective understanding, that the Nutri-Score outperformed all other labels across all health litteracy levels and would be a useful strategy for those disadvantaged by limited health litteracy 72 .…”

Enhancing Food and Nutrition Literacy: A Key Strategy for Reducing Food Waste and Improving Diet Quality

“…In recent years, nutritional labels on food packaging have increasingly become the focus of research [87]. Legislation and public health initiatives have recommended changes to label characteristics to improve the understandability of nutritional information for consumers [83,88,89]. In particular, the back-of-pack nutritional information has been shown to be difficult to access, understand, and evaluate, mainly in populations at risk of limited health literacy [85].…”

“…Although consumer understanding difficulties mainly concern the interpretation of correct portion sizes, as well as recommended daily percentage values [85], information on food packaging should also include clarifications on the expiry date and preparation and storage methods. Furthermore, consumers should also be adequately informed about the fact that the consumption of canned, frozen, or deep-frozen foods can be part of a healthy diet model [66,69,87,88]. So, future dialogues between scientists, policymakers, and other stakeholders are needed to promote a common food policies framework and to provide solutions to face the planetary and people health challenge [85].…”