What determines consumer attention to nutrition labels?

Abstract

To identify the key determinants of consumer attention to nutrition labels, visual search tasks (present –absent; one – two targets) were used as an effective experimental tool. The main manipulation concerned: set size (number of labels on front of pack); label characteristics (display size, position of the label on front-of-pack, colour scheme); and familiarity with type of the label and its location on the front of pack. Attention capture was faster and more accurate when the label was present rather than absent, with doubled rather than standard display size, and with mono- rather than polychromatic colouring. There was performance benefit when the type of label and its location on the package did not change in two consecutive exposures, suggesting that nutrition logos should be printed in a consistent location on the package. The results confirm our hypotheses that display size, colour scheme, familiarity with the label and its location on the front of the pack are key determinants of consumer attention to labels. These findings are crucial to better understanding consumer attention to labels and thus the impact of nutrition information on healthy food choice.