Scepticism of food labelling versus food advertising: a replication and extension

Abstract

ABSTRACT Given the obesity epidemic and regulatory responses to this public health crisis in the United States and the European Union, it is especially important that we understand how consumers evaluate health and nutrition information presented on food labels and in food advertisements. A single study has explored consumer scepticism of food labelling versus that of food advertising. We replicate the results of this initial work, ask additional questions that extend our understanding of consumer scepticism, and replicate our own findings. Respondents are consistently uncertain about food science, distrustful of regulatory efficacy, suspicious of commercial speech, and sceptical of health claims and the Nutrition Facts Panel. Taken together, these stable results suggest possible manufacturer and regulatory responses and future research directions.