Base labeling policy on science and consumer motivation, says EUFIC in labeling report

20 Jul 2018 --- Appropriate and meaningful nutritional information should be based on science and take into account consumer use, interpretation and understanding of different labeling schemes, The European Food Information Council (EUFIC) 2018 edition of the Global Update on Nutrition Labeling notes. The extensive report, produced by EUFIC in collaboration with Landmark Europe and with input from nutrition foundations across the world, assesses the global state of nutrition labeling, highlighting regional differences and policy measures.

In some countries, government regulations for nutrition labeling have been in place for years while others have only recently developed a framework for the provision of nutrition information. In both circumstances, the provision of nutrition information on the front-of-pack (FOP) is becoming an increasingly prominent policy issue. 

The global diversity is clear. In Europe, color-coded schemes may come under consideration in Portugal, Poland and Ireland, while Germany plans to develop an understandable and comparable FOP label, but has not elaborated on the format. The Netherlands had used the Choices logo for years but decided to move away from using health symbols on pack and provide nutrition information via a smartphone app. While in Asia, a number of countries are also using health logos. Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia have opted for the Healthier Choice Symbol, while the Philippines has introduced its own “Wise Eat” logo and Vietnam has chosen a logo based on the Choices system.

Key-takeaways for a complex space: science and the consumer 
The report highlights the necessity for policy decisions to be based on science: the critical question is how appropriate and meaningful nutrition information can be provided on the food label so that motivated consumers can act on their desire to improve their diets. 

There is great interest among stakeholders and the research community in the potential of nutrition labeling to guide consumers in their product choices so as to enable them to adopt more balanced eating habits. In this respect, it is clear that what matters is the overall diet, not the consumption of an individual product.

On this note, the report further highlights the importance of engaging with research on what is effective in influencing consumer choices. Some studies show that judgment of nutritional quality labels, GDA-based labels, and health logos have a sizeable impact on consumers’ preference and intention to purchase a product. This data is backed by consumer studies in Europe and Australia, which confirm that different labeling systems can be equally effective in helping consumers identify healthier options, although other studies show no short-term effect on purchasing decisions. 

Recent research from the International Food Information Council (IFIC) highlighted how nutrition labels can influence consumer purchasing. The research found that the presence of references to “bioengineered” (BE) foods on labels led to an increase in consumer concerns, especially regarding human health, impacting the likelihood they will purchase as well as the price they would be willing to pay for a product containing GMOs.

Most studies do indicate that FOP labels are helpful in guiding consumer choices. Crucially, other factors, such as price, familiarity with a product, consumer motivation and nutrition knowledge, have been shown to influence purchasing decisions significantly.

However, the report notes that most consumer research has been conducted in Europe, North & South America, Australia and New Zealand. Given the potential for variance, studies in other regions are needed to understand better local consumer attitudes.

Future considerations
In order to engage with what drives consumer choice, and in the end, healthier lifestyles, the report suggests further areas that require more consumer research:

• Do consumers make long-term healthier food choices as a result of having used nutrition information on food packaging?
• To what extent do nutrition labeling schemes have to be standardized to help consumers cultivate healthy eating habits?
• How can consumers best be helped to make good use of nutrition labels to make better food choices?
• Is nutrition labeling beyond packaged foods useful? E.g., on menus.
• How can new technologies best be used to encourage healthy choices.

An EUFIC spokesperson tells NutritionInsight, “We believe in the power of communicating and providing relevant information in the right form and through the right channel, tailored to the audience we want to engage with. In order to do so, we partake in consumer research as well as provide updates on the latest scientific findings (GUNL) which are aimed at better understanding behavior towards food – the start to any appropriate formulation of information content and design.”

By Laxmi Haigh