Abstract
BackgroundFront-of-package labelling is a cost-effective strategy to help consumers make healthier choices and informed food purchases. The effect of labels is mediated by consumer understanding and acceptability of the label. We compared the acceptability and understanding of labels used in Latin-America among low- and middle-income Mexican adults.MethodsParticipants (n = 2105) were randomly assigned to one of three labels: Mexican Guideline Daily Allowances (GDA), Ecuador’s Multiple Traffic Lights (MTL), or Chile’s Warning Labels (WL) in red. Label acceptability was evaluated through items regarding likeability, attractiveness and perceived cognitive workload. Objective understanding was evaluated by asking participants to select the product with the lowest nutritional quality among three products. We measured the time participants took to choose the product. Differences in label acceptability, understanding and time required to choose a product across labels were tested.ResultsCompared to the GDA, a higher proportion of participants liked the MTL and WL, considered them attractive, and with a lower perceived cognitive workload (p < 0.05). Participants had 4.00 (2.86–5.59) times the odds of correctly identifying the product with the lowest nutritional quality when using the MTL label and 4.52 (3.24–6.29) times the odds when using the WL, in comparison to the GDA. Time required to choose the product was lower for the MTL (Median: 11.25 s; IQR = 8.00–16.09) and the WL (Median = 11.94 s, IQR = 8.56–16.52) compared to the GDA (Median: 15.31 s; IQR = 10.81–20.21; p < 0.05). No differences were observed between the MTL and the WL.ConclusionsGDA had the lowest acceptability and understanding among the labels tested. The MTL and the WL were more accepted and understood, and allowed low- and middle-income consumers to make nutrition-quality related decisions more quickly. WL or MTL may foster healthier food choices in the most vulnerable groups in Mexico compared to the current labelling format.
Highlights
Front-of-package labelling is a cost-effective strategy to help consumers make healthier choices and informed food purchases
In Mexico the Guideline Daily Allowances (GDA) were implemented as a voluntary label in 2011, and in early 2016 they became the mandatory FOP label, along with more than 5 million USD invested in national communication and educational campaigns [17]
Our study showed that among a sample of low- and middle-income Mexican consumers, both the Multiple Traffic Lights (MTL) and the Warning Labels (WL) were more accepted and understood than the GDA, and that these labels
Summary
Front-of-package labelling is a cost-effective strategy to help consumers make healthier choices and informed food purchases. The Latin-American region has experienced a rise in non-communicable diseases posing new challenges to health systems [2]. A growing number of countries in LatinAmerica have implemented FOP labelling strategies, generally based on local scientific evidence. Due to the increase of excess weight in Chilean children, in 2016 the Ministry of Health implemented a new labelling policy in which packaged foods and beverages exceeding specified limits of sodium, sugar, energy and saturated fats had warning label [10]. Studies have shown that the Mexican population does not understand this labelling because of the complex quantitative format [19,20,21]. The regulation of FOP labels in the country is currently being revised, to replace this label with the most effective format for the Mexican population
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