The preference for Front-of-Pack Labeling and its association with the understanding of Nutrition Facts Panel among residents aged 18 to 70: results of a survey in 6 provinces of China

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the preference for Front-of-Pack Labeling (FOP) and its association with the understanding of the Nutrition Facts Panel among Chinese residents. Methods: A multi-stage sampling strategy was adopted to select 3 002 people aged between 18 and 70 years old from the eastern region of China (Beijing, Jiangsu Province, Guangdong Province), the northeast region (Heilongjiang Province), the central region (Henan Province) and the western region (Sichuan Province) from July 2020 to March 2021. Socio-demographic characteristics of participants and their understanding of the Nutrition Facts Panel and preference for FOP were collected. The χ² test was conducted to compare the preference for FOP in different groups of population, and multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the association between the preference for FOP and the understanding of the Nutrition Facts Panel. Results: The mean age of 3 002 participants was (42.3±13.4) years, of which 1 914 (63.8%) were females and 69.3% could not understand the Nutrition Facts Panel. About 2 458 respondents (81.9%) suggested that FOP could be promoted. The top three nutrients that should be labeled were sugar (68.4%), salt (68.2%) and total fat (62.4%). The number of participants who believed that the Multiple Traffic Lights (MTL) could be easier to help consumers to quickly choose healthy food, attract attention and provide the most needed information was 1 064 (35.4%), 1 026 (34.2%) and 1 140 (38.0%), respectively. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that, compared with the Guideline Daily Amount (GDA) system, participants who could not understand the Nutrition Facts Panel preferred (1) Nutri-Score, Warning labels, and Health logos: Smart Choice in terms of"Which format of FOP could quickly help you choose food more easily?"[OR (95%CI): 2.21 (1.62-3.02), 1.64 (1.22-2.22), 1.79 (1.31-2.45), respectively]; (2) Nutri-Score, Warning labels, and Health logos: Smart Choice in terms of"Which format of FOP could attract your attention the most?"[OR (95%CI): 2.62 (1.92-3.59), 1.96 (1.45-2.66), 2.25 (1.66-3.04), respectively]; and (3) Nutri-Score, Warning labels, and Health logos: Smart Choice in terms of"Which format of FOP could provide you with the most needed information?"[OR (95%CI): 2.33 (1.70-3.21), 2.21 (1.66-2.95), 2.01 (1.50-2.71), respectively]. Conclusion: The residents from six provinces in China have a supportive attitude towards FOP. The interpretive FOP with color information, specific nutrient information and summary indicator can be launched. The nutrition information of sugar, salt and total fat could be prioritized to be labeled on the FOP.