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Front-of-pack nutritional labels have been extensively studied to support consumers in making healthier and more informed food choices. However, existing research has gathered conflicting evidence about which category of label, nutrient-specific or summary labels, is more effective. As a result, the European Union has postponed its decision on selecting a unified label to collect additional information. This study specifically focusses on individuals with noncommunicable diseases, an overlooked yet relevant segment of consumers who can significantly benefit from the proper use of nutritional labels in their self-care.

In a sequence of three studies grounded in the front-of-pack acceptance model and focussing on customers with specific noncommunicable diseases, the authors examined the different effects of the NutrInform Battery and Nutri-Score on food acceptance and portion selection. This research involved the use of structural equation modelling and ANOVA and was conducted with a cumulative sample of 2,942 EU adults, residing in countries with or without previous exposure to nutritional labels.

The results suggest that among individuals with noncommunicable diseases, nutrient-specific labels are perceived as more useful and easier to use. They also generate a better attitude towards the usage of nutritional labels and are more effective in nudging those consumers towards a proper selection of portions.

The results provide valuable insights into how front-of-pack nutritional labels can impact the food choices of individuals with noncommunicable diseases and have implications for public health policies.

Investigation of the effects of NutrInform Battery and Nutri-Score on consumers with noncommunicable diseases, an area currently under-researched.

The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a study using photoelicitation interviews to investigate the relationship between the habitualised and unconscious aspects of consumers' food choices, the front‐of‐pack nutrition labelling schemes on food products and the healthiness of their diets.

To this end, photographs of ten German middle‐class families at different stages of the family lifecycle were taken at the point of purchase (during a shopping trip made by the main person responsible for meal planning) and at the point of consumption (during a family meal at home). The paper used selected photographs as stimuli for photoelicitation. The interviews were recorded and analysed using a holistic approach.

Four themes concerning food characteristics, participants' food choices and their healthiness emerged from the data: perceived time pressure at the point of purchase; the relevance of nutrition information for making inferences with regard to the healthiness and tastiness of products; consumers' trust in nutrition information; and their use of this information at the point of purchase or point of consumption.

Photoelicitation interviews allowed us to bridge the gap between researchers and respondents and to study what happens in real‐life situations when consumers go shopping and prepare family meals.

By putting nutrition information on food packaging, especially on the front of the pack, manufacturers and retailers enable consumers to make faster and healthier decisions at the point of purchase – i.e. as long as the consumers notice, understand, trust and like the labelling and use it in making their final decision. Front‐of‐pack labels are of less relevance at the point of consumption.

The paper provides a number of insights into the processes involved in making healthy (or unhealthy) food decisions. It also provides directions for future studies in visual research and in the fields of consumer behaviour, marketing and public policy.

The escalating prevalence of non-communicable diseases has underscored the crucial role of Front-of-Pack-Labelling (FoPL) in shaping consumer decisions. However, the research in this field is still in its developing stage, leading to a fragmented and limited body of work. Given the critical importance of FoPL, it is imperative to conduct a comprehensive literature review of existing research to outline the academic aspect of FoPL research. This research paper aims to combine the available research to generate a systematic compilation of literature, thereby contributing to the advancement of knowledge in this vital area.

To achieve the objectives, a systematic literature review technique was followed. The database used for the extraction of documents was Scopus. Sixty-three articles were critically examined to extract the relevant information.

Based on the analysis types of a study conducted, data collection source, types of FoPL studied, key themes, theoretical model, antecedents, dependent/independent variables and outcome were identified. It also explained the underlying phenomenon of FoPL’s impact on the various outcomes. An integrative theoretical model was also proposed based on the underlying mechanism, antecedents, moderator, mediator and outcome. Towards the end of the paper, research gaps were also identified for future paths in unexplored areas.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first attempt in the field of FoPL to comprehensively include all the dependent and independent variables involved and propose a framework along with future research prospects. The findings will guide researchers and policymakers.

This paper aims to compare the use of front-of-pack nutrition claims made on 32,257 food labels launched in 2009 in the US and the EU.

Information from Mintel's Global New Product Database was analyzed, for 25,417 products launched in the EU and 6,840 in the US. The hypothesis was that “products launched in the US and EU have a different frequency of front-of-pack nutrition claims”. Using inferential statistics, significant differences (two-tailed Z-tests) in the number of claims are explored and compared to differences in legislation standards and consumer preferences.

The initial analysis revealed that there were six significant differences between the presence of the seven health and nutrition claims across 16 product categories in the US and the EU. Further analysis of the 16 product categories revealed a range of significant differences between the frequency of US and EU claims.

The emerging relevance of front-of-pack nutrition labeling as a marketing tool makes such differences pertinent. This paper marks the first systematic comparison of the use of claims between the US and EU.

This study aims to reveal the implications that trust, as a key driver of consumer behaviour, might have on consumer acceptance of front-of-pack labels (FOPLs) and policy effectiveness. By conducting three studies on 1956 European consumers with different levels of exposure to FOPLs, this study offers additional theoretical and experimental support through a deep investigation of the central role of trust in consumers’ decision-making towards healthier and more informed food choices.

Study 1 used structural equation modelling to assess whether trust is a relevant mediator of the relationship between attitude and behavioural intention (BI), thus upgrading the front-of-pack acceptance model (FOPAM); Study 2 tested the model by comparing two labels at the extremes of the current European scheme (NutrInform Battery [NiB], Nutri-Score [NS]); Study 3 assessed the effect in cases where the connection between trust and algorithms is made transparent and evaluated trust dimensions, focusing on the perception of an algorithm presence behind FOPLs information.

Study 1 strengthens the FOPAM model with the mediating role of trust in FOPLs, demonstrating a positive effect of attitude on trust and, in turn, on BI, and resulting in a higher model fit with all the significant relationships; Study 2 revealed that the relative performance of the different labels on the FOPAM can be explained by the trust dimension; Study 3, investigating the dynamics of trust in the FOPAM, revealed that the NS is less effective than the NiB on attitude, BI and trust.

The sample was limited to Italian, French and English respondents, and two labels at the extreme of the spectrum were examined. Furthermore, the research has relevance to the issue of trust. Other moderators used in previous studies on technology acceptance model, such as actual use versus perceptual use, user experience level or type of users and type of use might be investigated.

The investigation of trust, with the upgrade of FOPAM, enhances understanding of consumers’ decision-making processes when aided by food labels and makes a new contribution to the European Union “Inception Impact Assessment” in preparation for the finalization of the “From-Farm-to-Fork Strategy”, providing new insights into the role of trust by assessing the relative performance of FOPLs in consumers’ acceptance of food-related information. Furthermore, this study revealed that consumers’ perception of FOPLs worsens when they realize that they are the result of an algorithmic calculation. Finally, the new FOPAM represents a reliable theoretical model for future research on FOPL.

This study increases the knowledge about the performance of different FOPLs on several dimensions of food decision-making, positions the upgraded FOPAM as a valid alternative to existing theoretical models to assess the relative performance of labels, also extending the literature in the context of algorithm-based FOPL, and could be used as a valid support to policymakers and industry experts in their decision towards a unified label at European level.

This study aimed to examine the perceptions and preferences of Brazilian adult consumers about four different front-of-pack (FOP) food labeling systems proposed by the Brazilian National Health Regulatory Agency.

This is a qualitative study conducted with 33 participants allocated in six focus groups. Four different types of FOP labels were displayed on processed and packaged bread: three interpretive warning labels (black triangle, black octagon and red ellipse) and a hybrid model (nutritional traffic light). Thematic analysis was used to identify the key topics addressed by participants.

Three topics were identified: label design, clarity and precision of information. The results demonstrated an influence of labels on product development and consumers' food choices. Most participants expressed a preference for black warning labels and reported the importance of statements endorsed by the Ministry of Health, which provide credibility and could influence food choices. Furthermore, participants agreed that the traffic light system provides more information but is difficult to interpret when comparing products. Warning labels were reported to have the greatest influence on purchase decisions. However, participants were concerned about how to understand the lack of warning labels on some products.

The results may help and support the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency to identify and recommend the most effective FOP labeling system to be adopted in Brazil.

Few studies investigating adult consumers' perceptions of different FOP label formats have been conducted in the Brazilian context. Our study contributes to the small pool of evidence on the topic by demonstrating that FOP labels can be helpful for consumers when they are presented in an intuitive, interpretative and trustworthy format.

Front-of-pack (FOP) nutrition labeling has attracted considerable attention in a wide range of communities. However, the limited effects of FOP nutrition labels on healthier food preferences have been reported. Drawing on the dual system theory, this study aimed to investigate which FOP nutrition labels increase healthier food preferences and when. Drawing on the dual-process theory, this study aimed to investigate the effects of Nutri-Scores on healthy food preferences under time pressure.

Participants saw two food packages (healthier and less healthy) with either intuitive (nutrient score) or numeric FOP labels. They then had to choose one of their preferred products with or without time pressure.

Across two studies (including one pre-registered replication), the results consistently demonstrated that the Nutri-Score (vs numeric labels) increases healthier food preferences under time pressure. No significant difference in the likelihood of choosing healthier food was found between the labels under non-time pressure.

Together, our results suggest that intuitive FOP labeling (i.e. Nutri-Score) enhances healthier food preferences during Type 1 processing and provides practical implications for promoting healthy eating.

This review explores the phenomenon of front-of-pack nutrition labels (FoPNLs) in the European Union (EU). FoPNLs highlight the nutritional quality of food and non-alcoholic beverages and help consumers to make healthier choices. The review explores different types of FoPNLs and evaluates their effectiveness.

A policy analysis was conducted, relying on extant academic literature, grey literature and policy documents. The use of current FoPNLs is interpreted in light of national and economic interests.

Our review identifies and describes seven government endorsed FoPNLs that are currently used in the EU. Five are positive endorsement labels (Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Lithuania, Slovenia and Sweden), which only provide a positive indication on more healthy products. The Keyhole is used in three EU countries (Denmark, Lithuania and Sweden), while the others are used in one country each. The Nutri-Score represents a summary label, which provides an overall grade of how healthy a product is. It is used in six countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain and Luxembourg). Finally, the Nutrinform battery is a nutrient-specific non-interpretive scheme, indicating the content of nutrients in a portion of a food product. All identified labels are only used on a voluntary basis, encouraging selective use.

This review contributes to a significant discussion about food labeling in the EU. It summarizes existing approaches and evaluates them in terms of their effectiveness. The current schemes in use reflect regional clustering. The most common scheme is the Nutri-Score. This is predominantly found in western EU states. Another major label is the Keyhole, with summary endorsement schemes being prevalent in northern EU states. The least common is Nutrinform, which has some support in southern EU states. The Nutri-score is most effective although economic interests are pushing for the Nutrinform battery in a small number of states. Finally, the review suggests that all existing FoPNLs are voluntary, these labels fail to provide consumers with adequate information about nutrition quality of food products. The EU needs to mobilize support to agree on a single one.