Review finds front-of-package nutrition labels ineffective among low-income consumers

Researchers are calling for stronger measures to reduce sugar intake based on a new review that found limited effectiveness of front-of-pack food labels in reducing consumption among low-income or socioeconomically challenged consumers. The finding supports pairing food labeling with strategies like sugar taxation and nutrition education. 

Lead researchers from the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Center, Australia, underscore that front-of-pack labels (FOPL) might help the general population, but they do not address health inequalities. The team calls for additional structural interventions to help overcome barriers such as cost, access, and food literacy, which were found to hinder the impact of FOPL.

“The implication is that while FOPL may support healthier choices at a broader societal level, they are unlikely to substantially reduce inequalities in diet and health without broader structural interventions,” says senior author associate professor Ankur Singh, chair of Lifespan Oral Health at the Charles Perkins Center.

“These labels alone may be insufficient to reduce socioeconomic inequalities in sugar consumption if broader structural barriers, such as limited food affordability, unequal food access, and disproportionate exposure to unhealthy food marketing, remain unaddressed.”

Global relevance

The paper in  Obesity Reviews analyzed 10 studies from several high-income countries, which examined the effectiveness of FOPL on sugar consumption and purchasing behavior. The reviewed studies’ country of origin includes the US, Sweden, Chile, and Ecuador, but the researchers believe that the findings have global implications.

“While food labeling systems differ across countries, the findings are globally relevant, where conditions linked to high sugar intake, such as tooth decay and metabolic disorders, are strongly socially patterned,” comments Singh.

“The main learning here is the equity impact, rather than how food labels work by country. The paper highlights a significant gap in the evidence supporting front-of-pack labels as a strategy for reducing sugar consumption among disadvantaged groups.” 

He adds: “FOPL may be most effective when implemented alongside complementary strategies such as sugar taxation, product reformulation, healthy food subsidies, and targeted nutrition education.”

Effective food labeling 

Recent research found that color-coding food product labels is more effective than traditional nutrition tables in influencing consumer dietary choices. The paper suggests that color coding can play an essential role in shaping public health and guiding healthier choices amid rising obesity levels.

Other researchers designed a nutrition label that can better help consumers identify healthier options than the US FDA’s proposed Nutrition Info Box label. The new labels carry a simplified design with “high in” printed on product packaging with excess saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar levels, suggesting health risks.