Polish Consumers’ Understanding of Different Front-of-Package Food Labels: A Randomized Experiment

Abstract

Dietary practices are a key behavioral factor in chronic disease prevention; one strategy for improving such practices population-wise involves front-of-package labels (FoPL). This online randomized study, conducted in a quota-based sample of 1159 Polish adults (mean age = 40.9 ± 15.4 years), assessed the objective understanding of five FoPL: Health Star Rating, Multiple Traffic Lights, NutriScore, Reference Intakes (RI) and Warning Label. Objective understanding was evaluated by comparing results of two nutritional quality ranking tasks (without/with FoPL) using three food categories (breakfast cereals, cakes, pizza). Associations between FoPL exposure and objective understanding were assessed via multivariable ordinal logistic regression. Compared to RI and across food categories, significant improvement in objective understanding was seen for NutriScore (OR = 2.02; 95% CI: 1.41–2.91) and Warning Label (OR = 1.61; 95% CI: 1.12–2.32). In age-stratified analyses, significant improvement in objective understanding compared to RI emerged mainly among adults aged 18–30 years randomized to NutriScore (all food categories: OR = 3.88; 95% CI: 2.04–7.36; cakes: OR = 6.88; 95% CI: 3.05–15.51). Relative to RI, NutriScore was associated with some improvement in objective understanding of FoPL across and within food categories, especially among young adults. These findings contribute to the ongoing debate about an EU-wide FoPL model.

Evaluation of Food Labelling the Products with Information Regarding the Level of Sugar: A Preliminary Study

“…Other literature studies also indicate that for some food groups, sugar content reduction could have the greatest impact on public health [55]. As far as Polish consumers are concerned, it seems particularly important that the information on the label (including information about sugar content in the product) is presented in an appropriate way so that the label can be properly interpreted and understood by the consumer, especially in the situation of a worrying increase in the number of overweight and obese people in recent years [56].…”

Nutrition Knowledge, Dietary Habits, and Food Labels Use—A Representative Cross-Sectional Survey among Adults in Poland

“…In numerous countries, food labeling systems with nutrition information were introduced to promote pro-healthy food choices and dietary behaviors [ 19 , 20 ]. Food labeling systems differ across the countries, but two major groups can be identified: numeric data on specific nutrient content and summary labels (e.g., graphic, or color-coded logo) with synthesized information on ingredient and nutrient content [ 20 , 21 ].…”

“…The World Health Organization (WHO) encourages member states to introduce front-of-package labels with information about the nutritional value of the food product [ 22 ]. In the European Union (EU), there is a law on mandatory nutrition declaration [ 21 , 23 ]. In line with the EU regulations, most pre-packed foods in the EU should provide nutrition information on the energy value of the products as well as the amounts of fat, saturates, carbohydrates, sugars, protein, and salt in the food [ 23 ].…”

Uncovering the Effect of European Policy-Making Initiatives in Addressing Nutrition-Related Issues: A Systematic Literature Review and Bibliometric Analysis on Front-of-Pack Labels

“…More recent contributions continue to highlight the relevance of FoPL and their positive effects on consumers' choices [5,[131][132][133][134][135][136][137]. However, there is still a multitude of valid effects demonstrated without a full convergence of the authors [3].…”

“…In other countries, it has been argued that there is a reactance to the acceptance of the Nutri-Score [134]. In Italy, for instance, Fialon et al [153] argued that policy-makers and industry-expert oppose the Nutri-Score with a narrative based on the protection of the Made-in-Italy products and the Mediterranean Diet.…”