The Availability and Quality of Food Labelling Components in the Canadian E-Grocery Retail Environment.

Jennifer J Lee,Tianyi Zhang,Madyson V Weippert,Alyssa Schermel,Mary R L’Abbé,Mavra Ahmed

doi:10.3390/nu13082611

Jennifer J Lee, Tianyi Zhang + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13082611

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Journal: Nutrients	Publication Date: Jul 29, 2021
Citations: 10	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Public Health Ontario, University of Toronto

Abstract

Background: Although packaged foods sold in retail stores must follow food labelling regulations, there are no e-grocery food labelling regulations to mandate and standardize the availability and presentation of product information. Therefore, the objective of the study was to evaluate the availability and quality of food labelling components in the Canadian e-grocery retail environment. Methods: A sample of fresh and pre-packaged products was identified on eight leading grocery retail websites in Canada, to assess the availability and quality of food labelling components. Results: Out of 555 product searches, all products were accompanied by product images with front-of-pack images more readily available (96.0%) than back-of-pack (12.4%) and other side panel images (3.1%). The following mandatory nutrition information was available for 61.1% of the products: nutrition facts table (68.8%), ingredient (73.9%), and allergen (53.8%) information. The majority of the nutrition information was available after scrolling down, clicking additionally on the description page, or viewing only as an image. Date markings were not available; packaging material information was available for 2.0% of the products. Conclusions: There was wide variability and inconsistencies in the presentation of food labelling components in the e-grocery retail environment, which can be barriers in enabling Canadians to make informed purchasing decisions.

Highlights

With rapid expansions and the use of e-commerce during the COVID-19 pandemic [1], many grocery retailers have expanded their traditional brick-and-mortar retail stores with online platforms
As part of the Codex Alimentarius Commission to protect the health of consumers and to promote fair practices in the food trade, the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL)
With limited studies examining the availability of food labelling components in the e-grocery retail environment, the objective of this study was to examine the availability and quality of food labelling components of products sold by leading Canadian grocery websites

Summary

Introduction

With rapid expansions and the use of e-commerce during the COVID-19 pandemic [1], many grocery retailers have expanded their traditional brick-and-mortar retail stores with online platforms. E-grocery shopping can be a convenient shopping method, for those with time constraints [2] or those concerned about minimizing human exposure during a pandemic [1]. Food labelling, which provides information about the characteristics of the food, is the main method of communication between manufacturers and consumers [3], and is regarded as an important tool in facilitating healthy food choices by consumers [4,5]. Was established to provide regularly updated international practice and guidelines on labelling of foods to minimize false, misleading, or deceptive information presented to consumers [6,7]. The CCFL provides guidelines on various aspects of labelling, including the type (e.g., name of foods, ingredients, date marking, and storage information), content

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