Abstract
According to the WHO, front-of-pack nutrition labeling provides simplified nutrition information in the form of symbols, colors or words that can help consumers understand the nutritional quality of food, thus leading them to healthier food choices. It is considered of the utmost importance to explore the knowledge and understanding of consumers about this form of nutrition labeling. The aim of this study was to investigate the understanding and perceptions of Greek consumers in response to five different front-of-pack nutrition labels (FoPLs): the Multiple Traffic Lights, Health Star Rating System, Guideline Daily Amounts, Warning Symbols and Nutri-Score. From April 2021 to June 2021, 1278 participants from Greece took part in an online survey where they were asked to rank three products according to their nutritional quality. The classification process was performed first without FoPLs and then with FoPLs. The ability to classify products according to their nutritional quality was evaluated with multinomial logistic regression models, and the Nutri-Score label presented greater improvements when compared to the GDA label for Greek consumers. The Nutri-Score seemed to better help the Greek consumers rank foods according to their nutritional value.
Highlights
In Greece, the adult obesity rate, which stands at 17%, is higher than in other southernEuropean countries [1]
According to the WHO (World Health Organization/European Region), front-of-pack nutrition labels (FoPLs): (a) can provide simplified nutrition information in the form of symbols, colors or words and (b) are considered an economical and cost-effective measure to help consumers understand the nutritional quality of food, leading them to healthier food choices [9,11]
In a study conducted on a sample of 814 participants in Morocco testing the Nutri-Score and four other nutritional information labels such as the Health Star Rating, Warning Symbols, Reference Intakes and Multiple Traffic Light, the results showed the superiority of the Nutri-Score, which was associated with the highest improvement in the ability to properly classify foods based on their nutritional quality compared to the GDA [39]
Summary
In Greece, the adult obesity rate, which stands at 17%, is higher than in other southern. For childhood obesity, data from the Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) study showed that the highest rates of childhood overweight and obesity were observed in Mediterranean countries, such as Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Spain, where more than 40% of boys and girls were overweight, and 19% to 24% of boys and 14% to 19% of girls were obese [3]. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) threaten the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as one of the goals of the agenda is to reduce premature deaths from NCDs by one-third by 2030 [7]. Over 40% of deaths in Greece can be attributed to behavioral risk factors [1]
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