Mandatory Labeling Research Articles

Global overview of government-endorsed nutrition labeling policies of packaged foods: a document review

IntroductionNutrition labeling provides nutritional information about nutrients present in a food product. It is commonly applied to packaged foods and beverages, where the information can be presented on the back or front of the pack as the nutrient declaration, nutrition and health claims, and supplementary nutrition information. Nutrition labeling is an important policy instrument for improving the nutritional quality of foods and promoting healthy diets, as it allows consumers to make informed purchasing decisions. This document review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of government-endorsed nutrition labeling policies related to nutrient declaration, nutrition claims, and supplementary nutrition information enforced worldwide.MethodsWe searched two nutrition policy databases, the Global database on the Implementation of Food and Nutrition Action (GIFNA) and the NOURISHING database, and government websites of some selected countries for the government-endorsed nutrition labeling policies published up to June 2023. We narrated the policy adopting countries' distribution by WHO regions, mode of implementation (voluntary or mandatory), and types of front-of-pack labels implemented.ResultsGlobally, we found that 95 countries have mandatory policies for nutrient declarations on packages of processed products. These include 41 countries in Europe, 19 in America, 14 in the Western Pacific, nine in Africa, seven in the Eastern Mediterranean region, and five countries from South-East Asia. Additionally, 71 countries have policies on the use of nutrient claims like “fat-free,” “excellent source,” and “fortified.” European region has the highest number of countries (37) that have rules on nutrient claims. Front-of-pack labeling (FOPL) policies have been introduced in 44 countries as supplementary nutrition information. Of these, 16 countries have adopted FOPL as mandatory, while others have implemented it voluntarily. The FOPL systems include warning labels, keyhole logo, health star rating, traffic light labeling, nutri-score, and healthy choice logos.ConclusionOver recent years, the number of countries adopting mandatory nutrition labeling policies, especially FOPLs, has increased globally. Labeling policies should be evidence-based and follow the best practices to protect consumers from unhealthy nutrients and promote healthy eating. FOPL designs need to be selected based on country-specific evidence of effectiveness and appropriateness, avoiding industry influence.

Evaluating the application of front-of-package labelling regulations to menu labelling in the Canadian restaurant sector using Menu Food Label Information and Price (Menu-FLIP) 2020 data.

To evaluate the application of front-of-package (FOP) labelling regulations to menu labelling in the Canadian restaurant sector by assessing the proportion of menu items that would be required to display the 'high-in' FOP symbol if the policy were extended to the restaurant sector. Nutrition information of 18,760 menu items were collected from 141 chain restaurants in Canada. Menu items were evaluated using the mandatory FOP labelling regulations promulgated in Canada Gazette II by Health Canada in July of 2022. Chain restaurants with ≥20 establishments in Canada. Canadian chain restaurant menu items including beverages, desserts, entrées, sides, and starters. Overall, 77% of menu items in the Canadian restaurant sector would display a 'high-in' FOP symbol. Among these menu items, 43% would display 'high-in' one nutrient, 54% would display 'high-in' two, and 3% would display 'high-in' all three nutrients-of-concern. By nutrient, 52% were 'high-in' sodium, and 24% and 47% were 'high-in' total sugars and saturated fat, respectively. Given the poor nutritional quality of restaurant foods, the current regulations, if applied to restaurant foods, would result in most menu items displaying a FOP symbol. Therefore, expanding the Canadian FOP labelling regulations to the restaurant sector can be key to ensuring a healthy food environment for Canadians. Furthermore, menu labelling along with other multi-faceted approaches such as reformulation targets are necessary to improve the dietary intake of Canadians from restaurant foods.

Enhanced Labeling to Promote Consumption of Nutrient Dense Foods and Healthier Diets.

Background/Objectives: Efforts are underway worldwide to design and deploy food labeling systems that provide consumers with the information needed to shift dietary patterns toward nutrient dense, healthier foods. Despite a compelling need for progress, worrisome public health trends persist that are rooted in the popularity of unhealthy, heavily processed foods. Methods: The nutrition and health-related content on the packaging of nine common foods sold in the US and Europe is analyzed and compared. The current scope of nutrient-specific messaging is characterized, including messages highlighting health-related benefits stemming from the mix and levels of mostly macronutrients in food products. Results: An average of 6.9 unique nutrition-related messages appear on the packaging of nine US food products, while EU food products contain an average of 5.0. Messaging around the ingredients in food products accounts for the largest share, e.g., "100% whole grain", "Vegan", and "No artificial preservatives". The macronutrients of fat, fiber, cholesterol, salt, sugar, and protein are the focus of most messaging around health benefits. The degree of food processing and essential vitamin, mineral, and phytochemical micronutrients receive little or no attention, despite their importance in positive health outcomes. Conclusions: Current nutrition-related labeling fails to inform consumers of the enormous differences in the contribution of food products in meeting nutritional needs. Existing metrics and rating systems do not effectively account for the critical relationship between nutrient density and caloric content. Existing metrics and systems do not reflect the impacts of processing on food nutritional quality in ways that provide consumers meaningful information. New concepts, metrics, and label elements are described that could promote healthier dietary patterns. Clear and mandatory nutrition labeling could begin shifting market share toward healthier options, and this could trigger and guide changes in manufactured food recipes that make brand-name products healthier, benefiting all consumers.

Disclosure of mandatory and voluntary nutrition labelling information across major online food retailers in the USA.

Nutrition labelling is mandatory on food products in retail stores, but compliance in the rapidly expanding online setting remains unclear. We assessed mandatory and voluntary labelling information across major U.S. online retailers. Between January and August 2022, we evaluated a representative basket of sixty food and beverage items across eight product categories of ten major retailers. We evaluated online presence, accessibility and legibility of four mandatory elements - Nutrition Facts, ingredients, allergen statements and percent juice for fruit drinks - and presence of seven voluntary elements - nutrient content claims, health/qualified health claims, ingredient claims, structure-function claims, additive claims, front-of-package nutrient profiling symbols and other marketing claims. Major online food retailers in the USA. N/A. On average, each mandatory element was present, accessible and legible for only 35·1 % of items, varying modestly by element (from 38·3 % for ingredients lists to 31·5 % for Nutrition Facts) but widely by retailer (6·6-86·3 %). Voluntary elements were present for 45·8 % of items, ranging from 83·7 % for marketing claims to 2·0 % for structure-function claims. Findings were generally consistent across the eight product categories. Voluntary elements were more frequently present than accessible and legible mandatory elements for six of ten retailers and seven of eight product categories. Mandatory nutrition label elements are not commonly present, accessible and legible in online retail settings and are less consistently present than marketing elements. Coordinated industry and regulatory actions may be needed to ensure consumers can access mandatory nutrition information to make healthy and safe food choices online.

Voluntary versus mandatory food labels, Australia.

To compare uptake of the voluntary Health Star Rating front-of-pack nutrition labelling system with uptake of a mostly mandatory country-of-origin label in Australia over a similar period. We used data on numbers and proportions of products carrying health stars and country-of-origin labelling recorded annually between 2015 and 2023 through surveys of four large Australian food retailers. We determined the proportion of products with health stars and country-of-origin labels for each year by dividing the number of products carrying each label by the total number eligible to carry that label. The uptake of the voluntary Health Star Rating increased steadily between 2014 and 2018, reaching a maximum of 42% (8587/20 286) of products in 2021 before decreasing to 39% (8572/22 147) in 2023. Mandatory country-of-origin labelling uptake rose rapidly and was found on 93% (17 567/18 923) of products in 2023. In categories where country-of-origin labelling was voluntary, uptake by 2023 was 48% (3313/6925). In our 2023 sample of 22 147 products, 11 055 (50%) carried country-of-origin labelling only, 7466 (35%) carried both health star and country-of-origin labelling, 1106 (5%) carried health star labels only and 2520 (11%) carried neither label. The experience with country-of-origin labelling shows that widespread and rapid food labelling change can be achieved when required by law. The Australian government should mandate the Health Star Rating without delay. Australia's experience supports other jurisdictions in implementing mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labelling as well as updates to global guidance to recognize mandatory labelling as best-practice in delivering benefits to consumers.

Evaluating Health Canada’s Proposed Front-of-Pack Labelling Policy: Burden of Healthcare Use Attributed to Health Canada’s Proposed Front-of-Pack Labelling Policy

The economic burden of disease due to consumption of poor diet costs billions of dollars annually to the Canadian healthcare system. This project is in response to the growing interest in the use of nutrient profiling systems on front-of-package (FOP) nutrition labels in Canada. There is a high demand for simplified healthy eating messaging. Health Canada announced improving food environments is a priority in the Healthy Eating Strategy and will implement the mandatory FOP label policy in 2026. Two Ontario-based studies examined the impacts of health behaviors (smoking, alcohol consumption, poor diet and physical inactivity) attributed to hospital bed-days and costs. They found 36% of hospital use was attributable to all health behaviours resulting in 900,000 bed-days annually. Between 2004-2013, 22% of healthcare costs totalling $89.4 billion were attributable to the four health behaviours. These are likely underestimates as diet was measured based on fruit/vegetables frequency. The objective is to evaluate Health Canada’s Proposed FOP policy on hospital bed-days. Detailed dietary data from the nationally representative cross-sectional national survey data Canadian Community Heath Survey-Nutrition 2004 linked to Discharge Abstract Database (2004-14) for hospital use will be used for analysis. Data-driven methodology will be employed and development of multivariable risk models using zero-inflated negative binomial regression with multiple exposure groups to test a dose-response. Results are undergoing, will be ready September 2024. This is the first study to analyze Health Canada’s proposed FOP policy related to economic outcomes. These findings will provide evidence-based recommendations to policymakers on nutrition policy.

Alcohol free? An analysis of UK and Scottish Government obesity policies’ engagement with alcohol 1999–2023

Background and aimsAlcoholic beverages can be highly calorific yet remain largely absent from obesity policy debates. This article seeks to identify how Scottish and English obesity policies have engaged with the issue of alcohol consumption since devolution.MethodsObesity policy documents for England and Scotland from 1999 to 2023 were thematically analysed to identify their engagement with alcohol consumption. A stakeholder analysis was undertaken to identify key public health actors and commercial sector policy actors in the debate regarding the inclusion of alcohol in obesity policy. Their engagement with the issue of alcohol as an obesity policy issue was assessed through thematic analysis of consultation responses, along with documents, press releases, reports and other statements on policy (e.g. blog posts) available on stakeholder websites.ResultsWhile alcohol was recognised as a risk factor for obesity within obesity policy documents, no specific measures to address this issue were identified until a consultation on mandatory calorie labelling on alcoholic beverages was proposed in 2020. Engagement with alcohol in the policy documents was mainly limited to voluntary and self-regulatory measures favoured by industry actors who portrayed themselves as a key part of the policy solution. They used the policy focus on childhood obesity as a pretext to exclude alcoholic drink from fiscal and labelling measures. Public health NGOs, by contrast, argued that obesity measures such as mandatory calorie labelling and other obesity policies should be extended to alcoholic beverages.ConclusionThere is an insufficient engagement with alcohol as an obesity policy issue within policy documents and an over-reliance on voluntary and industry-partnership approaches. Alcoholic beverages and reduced alcohol products are excluded from beverage taxes and labelling requirements in ways which are hard to justify. As with other areas of public health policy, this represents an industry-favoured policy agenda, opposed by health NGOs. Further research is needed to understand the influence of these actors on the engagement of obesity policy with alcohol.

62 - Uptake of voluntary versus mandatory food labels: A natural experiment in Australia

62 - Uptake of voluntary versus mandatory food labels: A natural experiment in Australia

The actual issues of mandatory labeling of certain types of medical items

Mandatory labeling of medical items plays key role in establishing uniform standards and requirements for all market participants. This promotes increasing of protection of consumer rights, excluding possibility of buying unreliable or counterfeit products. The normative documents regulating labeling of medical items set important requirements to manufacturers, importers and retailers. The unique identifiers, information about origin and other data provided for inclusion in labeling ensure product identification and control of its quality. The article considers normative legal base regulating procedure of mandatory labeling of certain types of medical items from their production and putting into use up to moment of their sale and withdrawal from market turnover. Besides, mechanism of state regulation of procedure of labeling of medical items targeted to increasing of traceability of products, reducing spread of counterfeit goods, ensuring patient safety and improving quality of medical services in general is considered.

Discovering Consumer Behavior Towards Back-of-Pack Nutrition Labels: A Systematic Literature Review

This systematic literature review aims to examine the impact of back-of-pack (BOP) labels on food manufacturers' practices in the field of consumer behaviour research. The review comprehensively analyses a wide range of articles spanning over two decades to provide an up-to-date and comprehensive analysis of the subject matter. It focuses specifically on how BOP labels affect consumers, food manufacturers' behaviors and practices. The findings highlight that BOP labels conveying intuitive information effectively prompt product reformulation, particularly in reducing unhealthy nutrients such as sodium, sugar, and calories. Voluntary BOP labeling has limited uptake and is often applied to already healthier products. Consumers and food producers' response varies based on label design and enforcement type, suggesting strategic labeling of healthier choices. The review provides valuable insights for future public health research and policymaking efforts, emphasizing the importance of mandatory policies and specific guidance in BOP labels. This research brings novelty by comprehensively examining the impact of back-of-pack (BOP) labeling on consumers and food manufacturers' practices. The findings contribute to the literature by highlighting the differential effects of mandatory and voluntary BOP labeling approaches and offering insights into label design and enforcement types. As per the researcher knowledge there is no available systematic literature review (SLR) specifically focusing on BOP labeling in recent years. Future research should explore the long-term impacts of mandatory versus voluntary BOP labeling on consumer dietary habits and food manufacturers' product reformulation strategies.

Life can’t be too sweet: the effects of sugar-sweetened beverage labelling on the government’s health battle

Singapore’s recent mandatory labelling regulations for sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) aim to guide consumer choices towards healthier options, which mandates labels on SSBs regarded as less healthy and encourages voluntary labelling for healthier SSBs. We focus on market competition between two SSB firms under different labelling schemes. Surprisingly, we find that mandatory labelling increases the consumption of less-healthy SSBs while reducing healthier SSBs consumption when the health risk is low. This counterintuitive result is attributed to the revelation of the lower-than-expected health risk, triggering a heterogeneity-reducing effect that heightens competition and price sensitivity. The lower retail price of less-healthy SSBs increases the demand. The heterogeneity-reducing effect also enables voluntary labelling of healthier SSBs to alleviate the adverse impact of mandatory labelling on consumer surplus and social welfare. Additionally, the imposition of SSB taxes effectively reduces consumption but challenges consumer surplus and compromises the efficacy of mandatory labelling.

Potential impact of alcohol calorie labelling on the attitudes and drinking behaviour of hazardous and low-risk drinkers in England: a national survey

ObjectivesWe investigated the hypothetical impact of mandatory alcohol calorie labelling, comparing non-drinkers, low-risk and hazardous drinkers in terms of attitudes, knowledge about calorie content and hypothetical behaviour changes should labelling...

Review of Capability of Methods for the Verification of Country of Origin for Food and Feed

Country of origin is defined as the country where food or feed is entirely grown, produced, or manufactured, or, if produced in more than one country, where it last underwent a substantial change. In the UK, EU-assimilated legislation states that indication of the country of origin is a mandatory labelling requirement for food and feed, including products such as meat, vegetables, eggs, honey and wine. The country of origin claim plays an important role for consumers who tend to relate certain country of origin labelling to superior quality or brand identity. Patriotism (or ethnocentrism) can also play a role in consumer food choice. In Europe, there are 3500 products with a specific geographical origin and their production methods are officially protected (Protected Designation of Origin = PDO; Protected Geographical Indication = PGI; Geographical Indication (for spirit drinks) = GI). These goods often carry a premium price. In addition to customer preference and sale price, country of origin claims are important to businesses when they seek to (i) monitor food miles (carbon footprint), (ii) ensure sustainable sourcing of, for example soy and palm oil (including new Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 on deforestation-free products), (iii) avoid trading of goods which are subject to sanctions, (iv) reassure consumers over concerns of farming and animal welfare standards, (v) avoid foods which are linked to exploitation of farm workers, enforced, or child labour. ‘Verification’ of geographical origin involves testing against a database to confirm that the data for a sample are consistent with those for that geographical location as claimed on a product label. Verification therefore does not involve testing a sample from an unknown location to unequivocally identify its provenance, as such methods are not available or are extremely limited in scope.

Analysis of the Alcohol Industry’s Corporate Social Responsibility Practices in Portugal

Introduction: In Portugal, the alcohol industry (AI) engages in corporate political activity, influencing decision-making and potentially obstructing the implementation of evidence-based alcohol policies, such as higher taxes, stricter advertising laws, and mandatory warning labels on all alcoholic beverages. Yet, no research has been conducted specifically on the industry’s corporate social responsibility activities (CSR), which can also hinder the implementation of these cost-effective policies while serving as a means for nurturing its reputation. Methods: This study addresses this gap by examining the CSR practices of ten AI actors in Portugal. Through qualitative content analysis, data collected from their websites was categorized based on an adapted framework considering seven CSR categories. Results: The results revealed CSR practices across all categories, with corporate philanthropy and alcohol information provision and education accounting for 65% of the analyzed data. The findings highlight potential conflicts between the public health initiatives of AI in Portugal and its profit-driven objectives. Conclusion: CSR activities undermine health protection and alcohol harm prevention efforts by promoting a dubious discourse about an undeniably harmful substance. The present study recommends considering vigilant monitoring, regulation, or even the ban on CSR practices of AI in Portugal.

Legal Framework of Plastic Packaging and Labelling in Sri Lanka: A Comparative Analysis

Plastic packaging plays a pivotal role in delivering quality products to consumers but poses significant waste management challenges once discarded. Landfilling, the primary method for solid waste disposal in Sri Lanka, exacerbates plastic pollution due to poor waste separation, leading to environmental contamination and health hazards. Mismanaged plastic packaging waste also threatens key industries like tourism, fisheries, and agriculture, endangering the country's economy and biodiversity. This research utilized secondary data to examine plastic packaging waste regulations, incorporating expert strategies such as the circular economy and extended producer responsibility. An extensive literature review, including German and EU directives, identified effective waste management practices, while primary data on food packaging was collected through observation to propose improved labelling regulations for Sri Lanka. The findings recommend mandatory labelling by manufacturers to inform consumers about the recyclability and quantity of plastic packaging, promoting awareness and sustainable consumption. Additionally, implementing eco-labelling and legislation for plastic packaging in Sri Lanka will enhance waste separation, recycling, and recovery, reducing plastic pollution and mismanaged waste.

Gluten migration from biodegradable food contact materials poses a risk to celiac disease patients

Due to the ban of certain single-use plastics in the European Union, food contact materials (FCM) from biobased and/or biodegradable polymers are increasingly being used. Some FCM are made from wheat or rye and therefore contain gluten, which is a food allergen and known to cause celiac disease. Legislation currently does not require allergen labelling on FCM and there is only some first information that gluten from FCM can migrate into gluten-free foods. Our aim was to analyze the extent of gluten migration from six different FCM into a variety of liquid and solid foods to assess the risk of exposure for wheat allergy and celiac disease patients. We show that the extent of gluten migration depended on the properties of the material, the liquid or solid food it comes into contact with and contact time. There was no clear effect of temperature or pH value. Of the six FCM studied, wheat bran-based plates had the highest potential to release gluten with concentrations of up to 203.0 mg/L of gluten in deionized water after 30 min. To protect patients, it is important to raise awareness of the risk of gluten migration from such FCM and help patients identify and avoid gluten-containing FCM. Further, legislation needs to be adapted urgently to include mandatory labelling of allergens on these biodegradable FCM.

Study on International Genetically Modified Food Labeling System via the Perspective of Consumers’ Right to know

China has been promoting the industrialization of genetically modified technology and has implemented stringent labeling regulations to safeguard consumers' access to information. The labeling system plays a crucial role in linking technology commercialization with market consumption. Yet, in practical applications, the labeling regulations has deepened consumer prejudice and impeded the progress of the genetically modified food business. The genetically modified food labeling systems of the United States, the European Union, and Japan merely cover most of the labeling types worldwide. Either adhering to scientific reliability principle and adopting a voluntary labeling system, or adhering to risk prevention principle and adopting a mandatory labeling system, or implementing the principle of combining rigidity and flexibility and adopting a compromise management, different countries have established genetically modified food labeling systems based on their own circumstances. Learning from global advanced practices and tailoring them to the characteristics of China，we have the potential to boost our own genetically modified labeling system progressing.

120 Gene editing: From the general public perspective

Abstract The public controversy around genetically engineered (GE) products, aka genetically modified organisms (GMO), has been ongoing for almost 40 yr fueled in part by well-funded misinformation campaigns disseminated by activist organizations. Polls reveal that public perception of GE animals is generally negative, with biomedical applications being more positively perceived than agricultural applications. Opposition to GE animals is often conflated with opposition to use of animals in research in general, as well as opposition to aspects of intensive animal agriculture. In general, concerns about animal biotechnology are influenced by views around the moral status of animals, the boundary between “natural” and “unnatural,” and perceived risks and benefits of GE animals to health and the environment (personal and cultural characteristics); the purpose of the application (e.g., disease resistance > fast growth), the method(s) being used, and the motivation of the research group making the genetic modification (public or private); and the species being modified (animal characteristics). There were three factors that aggravated opposition to GE products including 1) a lengthy and expensive regulatory step uniquely associated with commercializing products developed using that breeding method, 2) competing business interests (e.g., organic, non-GMO project) that were able to monetarize fear around the method to extract value (rent seeking) and selling their value-added (more expensive) product that avoided the use of GE, and 3) there is a mandatory labeling requirement to track/differentiate products produced with (or without) that breeding method to enable value-added marketing. Even so, when GE products that people wanted were allowed to reach the market (e.g., Impossible Burger with GE heme, GloFish, AquAdvantage salmon), they met with commercial acceptance. Now it has been suggested that the public will similarly reject animal products derived from gene edited (GnEd) animals, but that idea has only recently been put to the test as such food products were not previously available. A 2022 Japanese paper noted that with regard to GnEd food (gene knock-out tomatoes and fish) there was a “gap between anticipated and actual public response”. They noted that “even though there were some petitions against the use of genome-editing made by consumer groups; they did not develop into a mass mobilization, and media coverage was mostly positive.” These GnEd food products were developed by startups from Japanese universities, required no unique regulatory step before commercialization or mandatory labeling with Japanese regulatory agencies transparently sharing a summary of the information and notification on their websites, and businesses were encouraged to share information on products to respect The right of consumers to know. Successful commercialization of GnEd animal products has so far occurred in countries (e.g., Argentina, Brazil, Japan) where regulations treat simple GnEd products with no “foreign DNA” to be “non-GMO” and analogous to conventional breeding.

Evaluating compliance with local and International Food Labelling Standards in urban Tanzania: a cross-sectional study of pre-packaged snacks in Dar Es Salaam

BackgroundUrbanization influences food culture, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where there is an increasing consumption of processed and pre-packaged foods. This shift is contributing to a rise in non-communicable diseases. Food labelling standards are crucial for regulating manufacturing practices and helping consumers make healthy food choices. We aimed to assess the compliance of local and imported pre-packaged snacks with Tanzanian and international labelling standards in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.MethodologyA cross-sectional study was conducted on 180 snack products. A checklist based on Tanzanian and Codex labelling standards was used to evaluate adherence. We also examined factors influencing adherence, such as product origin, price, category, purchase location, and package size.ResultsThe majority of the snacks demonstrated partial adherence to Tanzania (n = 97; 54%) and International (Codex) (n = 120; 67%) labelling standards. Imported products showed significantly better adherence to both Tanzanian (n = 46; 53%) and international (n = 42; 48%) standards. Notably, more than half (n = 110; 66.7%) of the products used English for labelling, and infrequently (n = 74; 41.4%) used the recommended World Health Organization Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labelling. Product category, origin, and package size were significantly associated with higher levels of international standard adherence (p < 0.05).ConclusionThe inadequate adherence to mandatory labelling standards and the scarce use of Swahili and FoPL highlight the need to strengthen labelling practices and potential challenges faced by consumers in understanding nutritional information. Thus, strengthening and emphasizing good labelling practices are urgently needed as we seek to address diet-related noncommunicable diseases.

Data Safety vs. App Privacy: Comparing the Usability of Android and iOS Privacy Labels

Privacy labels---standardized, compact representations of data collection and data use practices---are often presented as a solution to the shortcomings of privacy policies. Apple introduced mandatory privacy labels for apps in its App Store in December 2020; Google introduced mandatory labels for Android apps in July 2022. iOS app privacy labels have been evaluated and critiqued in prior work. In this work, we evaluated Android Data Safety Labels and explored how differences between the two label designs impact user comprehension and label utility. We conducted a between-subjects, semi-structured interview study with 12 Android users and 12 iOS users. While some users found Android Data Safety Labels informative and helpful, other users found them too vague. Compared to iOS App Privacy Labels, Android users found the distinction between data collection groups more intuitive and found explicit inclusion of omitted data collection groups more salient. However, some users expressed skepticism regarding elided information about collected data type categories. Most users missed critical information due to not expanding the accordion interface, and they were surprised by collection practices excluded from Android's definitions. Our findings also revealed that Android users generally appreciated information about security practices included in the labels, and iOS users wanted that information added.