Comparing Food Label Experiments Using Samples from Web Panels versus Mall Intercepts

Abstract

To regulate health messages on food labels, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) traditionally relied on mall intercepts to collect consumer data. In recent years, web surveys have presented a viable alternative for presenting visual stimuli with more control and efficiency in data collection. However, there is a paucity of empirical data that compares mall intercept versus web panel samples to inform the relative merits and weaknesses of each sample source and their corresponding impact on study outcomes. We analyzed an FDA experiment deployed concurrently on a sample of consumers intercepted at shopping malls and a sample of consumers recruited by a web panel. Despite sample differences in demographics, topic knowledge, and time spent on survey, results from the core experiment were the same, that is, both samples yielded the same conclusions about the effects of the food label statements on consumer perceptions and intentions.