Objective understanding of five front-of-pack labels among consumers in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa

This study aimed to assess the objective understanding of five front-of-pack label formats, namely the Reference Intake, Multiple Traffic Light label, Nutri-Score, health endorsement logo and warning label, among consumers in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa. This was a cross-sectional, exploratory...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The South African journal of clinical nutrition Vol. 35; no. 3; pp. 108 - 114
Main Authors: Hutton, Tracey Ruth, Gresse, Annelie
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Centurion Taylor & Francis 30.09.2022
Medpharm Publications
Taylor & Francis Group
Subjects:
Consumers
Food products
Front-of-pack food label
Nutri-Score
objective understanding
Reference Intake
traffic light label
warning label
South Africa
ISSN:1607-0658, 2221-1268
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:This study aimed to assess the objective understanding of five front-of-pack label formats, namely the Reference Intake, Multiple Traffic Light label, Nutri-Score, health endorsement logo and warning label, among consumers in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa. This was a cross-sectional, exploratory study. Interviewer-administered surveys were conducted at 12 randomly selected food retail outlets in an urban setting. A total of 359 adult participants were included in this study. Objective understanding was measured by asking participants to rank food products according to their nutritional quality, using the displayed front-of-pack label. The type of front-of-pack label significantly influenced ranking ability (p < 0.00001). All the evaluative front-of-pack labels significantly improved the participants' ability to identify healthier food products compared with the no-label control. The reductive Reference Intake, however, showed no significant impact on consumer understanding. Evaluative front-of-pack labels significantly improved the participants' ability to identify healthier food products, when compared with the Reference Intake and no-label control. Future research should test the objective understanding of culturally diverse groups in South Africa, particularly among rural populations.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
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ISSN:1607-0658
2221-1268
DOI:10.1080/16070658.2021.1991674