ICMR-NIN study: Front-of-package warning labels can discourage unhealthy food choices

A study by the ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition on acceptability and potential use of different formats of front-of-pack nutrition labels in promoting informed food choices suggests ‘warning labels’ can deter choice and consumption of even moderately unhealthy foods.

It also showed that ‘summary ratings’ like health star or Nutri-Score can help identify healthier variants among the available foods.

Summary labels provide a brief and concise overview of a product’s key features and benefits, often including information about positive as well as negative nutrients.

Warning labels, on the other hand, provide information about potential hazards associated with a product as they take into consideration the nutrients of concern like sugars, fats and salt.

Front-of-package labeling (FOPL) is usually seen as an important tool of public health communication about healthiness.

Different formats of FOPNL are in use in different countries, either voluntarily or by mandatory implementation.

Meanwhile, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is considering to implement a symbol-based FOPNL.

However, context specific evidence on the effectiveness of FOPNL is needed to inform ongoing advocacy and regulatory processes in India.

The decision to the type of FOPNL used in a country should be based on local research, along with regional and global evidence, and in consideration of each country’s specific objectives for developing a FOPNL policy.

Given this background, the current study tested the consumer acceptability, reliability and understandability as well as the cognitive workload, informativeness and purchase intention of five FOPNL formats, namely Nutri-Score (NS), Health Star Rating (HSR), Warning Labels (WL), Multiple Traffic Lights (MTL) and Nutri-Star Rating (NSR).