Product Labeling Research Articles

Field detection of genetically modified crops: Simple DNA extraction, rapid assay and automatic output on smartphone

Rapid and accurate detection of genetically modified crops (GMC) is significant for crop supervision and genetically modified product labeling. For field detection of GMC, the rapidity and simplicity of the sample pretreatment and detection process are very important. Simplifying the extraction process of DNA in crops and speeding up the detection process are the technical problems that need to be solved. Therefore, this paper provides a field detection method for GMC. First, the selected universal LAMP primers of the chloroplast gene can be used to detect reference genes in nine crops with the most transgenic detection needs. The universal primers of reference genes can not only improve the accuracy of detection, but also omit the design and synthesis of reference gene primers in different crops. Second, a high concentration of DNA can be obtained using simple and fast DNA extraction methods within 5 min. The specific concentration of GuHCl in lysis buffer can accelerate the subsequent nucleic acid amplification reaction. Third, a new probe-LAMP method was established, with high reaction speed and specificity. Using the dual probe-LAMP for transgenic and reference genes in a handheld nucleic acid detector, the detection of GMC can be completed within 25 min. Two different fluorescence signals generated from the LAMP reaction are processed through a special logic gate, and finally three kinds of results of "Positive", "Negative" and "Invalid" are output on a smartphone. This method from sample processing to intelligent result output can achieve accurate, rapid, simple, low-cost, pollution-free field detection of GMC.

Impact of ultrasound process on cassava starch nanoparticles and Pickering emulsions stability

Using green techniques to convert native starches into nanoparticles is an interesting approach to producing stabilizers for Pickering emulsions, aiming at highly stable emulsions in clean label products. Nanoprecipitation was used to prepare the Pickering starch nanoparticles, while ultrasound technique has been used to modulate the size of these nanoparticles at the same time as the emulsion was developed. Thus, the main objective of this study was to evaluate the stabilizing effect of cassava starch nanoparticles (SNP) produced by the nanoprecipitation technique combined with ultrasound treatment carried out in the presence of water and oil (more hydrophobic physicochemical environment), different from previous studies that carry out the mechanical treatment only in the presence of water. The results showed that the increased ultrasound energy input could reduce particle size (117.58 to 55.75 nm) and polydispersity (0.958 to 0.547) in aqueous dispersions. Subsequently, Pickering emulsions stabilized by SNPs showed that increasing emulsification (ultrasonication) time led to smaller droplet sizes and monomodal size distribution. Despite flocculation, long-term ultrasonication (6 and 9 min) caused little variation in the droplet size after 7 days of storage. The cavitation effects favored the interaction between oil droplets through weak attraction forces and particle sharing, favoring the Pickering stabilization against droplet coalescence. Our results show the potential to use only physical modifications to obtain nanoparticles that can produce coalescence-stable emulsions that are environmentally friendly.

Cannabinoid Content and Label Accuracy of Various Hemp-Derived Haircare, Cosmetic, and Edible Products Available at Retail Stores and Online in the United States.

Aim: To evaluate the label accuracy and content of various hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) products (cannabinoid products with ≤0.3% Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol [THC]), as well as evaluate advertised claims on product labels. Methods: Hemp haircare, cosmetics, and food/drink products that were advertised to contain CBD were purchased from retail stores in the Baltimore, Maryland area (purchased in July 2020) and online (purchased in August 2020). Cannabinoid concentrations were measured using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Percent deviations between labeled and actual CBD concentrations were determined. Label information such as references to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), external testing claims, and other claims (i.e., cosmetic or beauty, therapeutic, health halo effect, or "other") were quantified. Results: Ninety-seven products were purchased (35 in-store, 62 online). Of the 71 products with a specific total CBD amount on the label, 35 (49%) were underlabeled (>10% more CBD than advertised), 27 (38%) were overlabeled (>10% less CBD than advertised), and 9 (12.7%) were accurately labeled (within ±10% of labeled CBD). The median (range) percentage deviations were -53% (-100%-76%) for haircare products, +18% (-100%-1076%) for cosmetics, and -1% (-100%-4468%) for food/drinks. CBD label accuracy did not differ significantly between products with external testing claims versus those without (t40 = 0.23, p = 0.82). Overall, 24% of the 97 (total) products made a cosmetic or beauty claim (e.g., "skin looks more youthful"), 40% made a therapeutic claim (e.g., "pain relief"), and 86% made a health halo effect claim (e.g., "paraben-free," "dye-free," etc.). Most products (63%) did not include a disclaimer that claims had not been evaluated by the FDA. Conclusions: Most of the products included in this sample were inaccurately labeled for CBD content, including those claiming to have been tested by third party laboratories. A notable finding was that 10 products did not contain any CBD. Many products made therapeutic claims or used marketing tactics to seemingly convey they were safe/healthy, but only about one-third included disclaimers that these statements had not been evaluated by the FDA. These findings highlight the need for proper regulatory oversight of cannabinoid-containing products to ensure quality assurance and deter misleading or unfounded health claims in product marketing.

Legal Awareness of Micro and Small Enterprise Operators Regarding Halal Certification: A Maslaha Perspective

The halal certification of food products is essential for consumer protection and should be harmonized with the practices of small-scale micro-producers to ensure security and mutual benefits in accordance with Islamic teachings. However, micro-businesses have been observed to possess varied perceptions toward the certification program. Based on this understanding, the present study aims to categorize awareness of the benefits and legal aspects of digitalizing the process of obtaining the certification using a theoretical legal system approach. In order to achieve the stated objective, qualitative data was gathered from different sources such as micro-business owners, halal certifiers, and beneficiaries of halal-certified food products. The obtained results showed that micro-businesses in serang-Banten often register for halal certification due to regulatory requirements and potential sanctions, rather than a deep understanding of the benefits of halal-certified products. This finding emphasized the persistence of a lack of significant awareness among micro-businesses regarding the advantages of obtaining halal certification. Accordingly, during the course of the investigation, the dominant challenges experienced include administrative complexities in the self-declaration process and the availability of qualified halal certifiers for high-risk food ingredients. To address these issues, there is an essential necessity for the development of a streamlined certification system that supports micro-businesses, facilitates application processes, and monitors the potential misuse of fake halal logos. Lastly, following the observations made, it can be inferred that digitizing the process of halal certification for both the registration and labeling of food products would improve consumer confidence and ease supervision.

Fish species authentication in commercial fish products using mass spectrometry and spectral library matching approach

Seafood fraud has become a global issue, threatening food security and safety. Adulteration, substitution, dilution, and incorrect labeling of seafood products are fraudulent practices that violate consumer safety. In this context, developing sensitive, robust, and high-throughput molecular tools for food and feed authentication is becoming crucial for regulatory purposes. Analytical approaches such as proteomics mass spectrometry have shown promise in detecting incorrectly labeled products. For the application of these tools, genome information is crucial, but currently, for many marine species of commercial importance, such information is unavailable. However, when combining proteomic analysis with spectral library matching, commercially important fish species were successfully identified, differentiated, and quantified in pure muscle samples and mixtures, even when genome information was scarce. This study further tested the previously developed spectral library matching approach to differentiate between 29 fish species from the North Sea and examined samples including individual fish, laboratory-prepared mixtures and commercial products. For authenticating libraries generated from 29 fish species, fresh muscle samples from the fish samples were matched against the reference spectral libraries. Species of the fresh fish samples were correctly authenticated using the spectral library approach. The same result was obtained when evaluating the laboratory-prepared mixtures. Furthermore, processed commercial products containing mixtures of two or three fish species were matched against these reference spectral libraries to test the accuracy and robustness of this method for authentication of fish species. The results indicated that the method is suitable for the authentication of fish species from highly processed samples such as fish cakes and burgers. The study shows that current and future challenges in food and feed authentication can efficiently be tackled by reference spectral libraries method when prospecting new resources in the Arctic.

Optimalisasi Branding Melalui Digitalisasi Bisnis UMKM Dapoer Athakiela

The community service program aims to improve branding capabilities in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). In the digital era, MSMEs face big challenges in marketing their products effectively. For this reason, this program is designed to provide comprehensive training and assistance in building a strong brand and an effective digital marketing strategy. Athakiela Kitchen, as one of the MSMEs in Wiyung District, has not yet carried out branding for its business. The focus of this service is to help Kitchen Athakiela MSMEs implement good branding using digital marketing. The service method used is through counseling and training on branding and digital marketing. The results obtained from this service were the creation of the Athakiela Kitchen branding by creating an MSME logo, product labels, banners and product photos. Athakiela Kitchen can also market its products through the Instagram account that has been created.

Color Feature Extraction for Grape Variety Identification: Naïve Bayes Approach

The problem addressed in this research is the lack of an efficient and accurate method for automatically identifying grape varieties. Accurate identification is crucial for quality control in the agricultural and food industries, impacting product labeling, pricing, and consumer trust. The aim of this research is to develop an automated system to classify green, black, and red grapes using digital image processing technology. This research method employs Naïve Bayes classification combined with color feature extraction. Testing was conducted under two scenarios: a database scenario with predefined grape image datasets and an out-of-database scenario with images resembling grape colors. Image processing includes resizing images to 200x200 pixels, Gamma Correction, Gaussian filtering, conversion to Lab* color space, K-Means Clustering for segmentation, followed by feature extraction and Naïve Bayes classification. The results of this research are that in the database scenario, the system achieved accuracies of 98.33% with an 80:20 data split and 98.89% with a 70:30 split. In the out-of-database scenario, accuracies were 96.67% with an 80:20 split and 97.78% with a 70:30 split. The conclusion of this research is the proposed method provides a reliable and efficient solution for automatic grape variety identification, benefiting quality control in agriculture and food industries.

Environmental Influences on the Drying Rate of Spray-Applied Disinfestants from Horticultural Production Surfaces

Drying rates of disinfestants commonly applied to horticultural plant production surfaces were evaluated under cool to hot weather and under laboratory conditions to characterize the range of drying times and how this relates to contact times specified on product labels. Drying rates of six disinfestants (isopropyl alcohol [IPA], two quaternary ammonium compounds [QACs], two peroxygen compounds [PXs], and sodium hypochlorite [bleach]) and water were evaluated when applied to six substrate materials (concrete, galvanized metal, polypropylene ground fabric, polyethylene plastic sheet, pressure-treated pine, and twin-wall clear polycarbonate) based on the weather variables of solar radiation, temperature, and relative humidity. Differences were evident at the point of application. Disinfestants with low (IPA, both QACs, and one PX) and high (bleach, one PX, and water) surface tension provided approximately 100 and 60% coverage, respectively, when applied to horizontal, nonporous solid materials. Disinfestants applied to horizontal porous materials (concrete, fabric, and wood) persisted on the surface for a mean of only 9 to 113 s because solutions were actively drawn into the substrates’ internal structure. Disinfestants applied to vertical twin-wall greenhouse material flowed off, while retaining only a maximum beaded wetness coverage of 14%. A Bayesian analysis procedure was used to model drying effects of disinfestants correlated with substrate and weather variables based on posterior marginal and prediction trends. Generally, the fastest drying rate occurred in the first 2.5 min, and approximately 50% of coverage was retained by 5 min. The evaporative process was variable with distinct interactions occurring among the experimental variables. [Formula: see text] The author(s) have dedicated the work to the public domain under the Creative Commons CC0 “No Rights Reserved” license by waiving all of his or her rights to the work worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law, 2024.

Establishing Geographical Indicator of Fermented Cacao Beans Using Microbiome Fingerprinting

Geographical indication is an essential label for industrial products. Herein, we aimed to explore a method for establishing geographical indications based on microbial diversity data. We collected two groups of datasets available on the public server of the European Nucleotide Archive. These datasets contain 12 (twelve) NGS-generated reads (amplicon sequencing metagenomes) of fermented cacao beans from Brazil and Mexico. We extracted the microbiome profile using bioinformatic tools in the SHAMAN server. We analyzed further using Principal Component Analysis, Clustering (Ward’s Method of Hierarchical Agglomerative Clustering), and UMAP (Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection) combined with KNN (K-Nearest Neighbor). We discovered differences in microbial diversity and unique taxa in the fermented cacao beans from Brazil and Mexico. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), such as Liquorilactobacillus, Tatumella, Leuconostoc, Companilactobacillus, and Limosilactobacillus, are unique genera in samples from Mexico, while Bacillus is a unique genus found in samples from Brazil. We have demonstrated the separation of the microbiome profiles between fermented cacao beans from Brazil and Mexico using PCA, clustering analysis and UMAP-KNN. We have successfully developed the proof of concept in establishing geographical indicators based on microbial diversity data or microbiome profiles. In the future, we will extend this research to analyze samples from Indonesia and establish a microbial diversity database of Indonesian fermented cacao. This database is essential for the authentication assay of Indonesian fermented cacao and for developing fine cacao and specialty products.

Large-Scale Land Cover Mapping Framework Based on Prior Product Label Generation: A Case Study of Cambodia

Large-Scale land cover mapping (LLCM) based on deep learning models necessitates a substantial number of high-precision sample datasets. However, the limited availability of such datasets poses challenges in regularly updating land cover products. A commonly referenced method involves utilizing prior products (PPs) as labels to achieve up-to-date land cover mapping. Nonetheless, the accuracy of PPs at the regional level remains uncertain, and the Remote Sensing Image (RSI) corresponding to the product is not publicly accessible. Consequently, the sample dataset constructed through geographic location matching may lack precision. Errors in such datasets are not only due to inherent product discrepancies, and can also arise from temporal and scale disparities between the RSI and PPs. In order to solve the above problems, this paper proposes an LLCM framework for generating labels for use with PPs. The framework consists of three main parts. First, initial generation of labels, in which the collected PPs are integrated based on D-S evidence theory and initial labels are obtained using the generated trust map. Second, for dynamic label correction, a two-stage training method based on initial labels is adopted. The correction model is pretrained in the first stage, then the confidence probability (CP) correction module of the dynamic threshold value and NDVI correction module are introduced in the second stage. The initial labels are iteratively corrected while the model is trained using the joint correction loss, with the corrected labels obtained after training. Finally, the classification model is trained using the corrected labels. Using the proposed land cover mapping framework, this study used PPs to produce a 10 m spatial resolution land cover map of Cambodia in 2020. The overall accuracy of the land cover map was 91.68% and the Kappa value was 0.8808. Based on these results, the proposed mapping framework can effectively use PPs to update medium-resolution large-scale land cover datasets, and provides a powerful solution for label acquisition in LLCM projects.

Triggers in the environment promoting food consumption

Most literature suggests that people can be influenced when choosing what to purchase or eat. Product availability, labelling and marketing, pricing, and portion size may all influence food choices. Environmental cues and the position of products on shelves, near checkouts, and in vending machines can also affect food choices and eating behaviours. Understanding the effects of these factors on human behaviour, and how they are affected by personal factors such as knowledge, values, motivations, and health goals, may provide avenues to nudge consumers towards healthy choices, and reinforce theoretical primers that support consumers to set appropriate goals for their well-being even when nudges promote consumption of less healthy foods

Food additives associated with gut dysbiosis in processed and ultra-processed products commercialized in the Uruguayan market

Recent empirical evidence suggests that gut dysbiosis is one of the negative health outcomes potentially associated with chronic consumption of some food additives. In this context, the present study aimed at analyzing the disclosure of food additives associated with gut dysbiosis in the labels of products commercialized in the Uruguayan market. A cross-sectional survey of packaged products commercialized in nine supermarkets was conducted between August and September 2021. All packaged processed and ultra-processed products available in each data collection site were surveyed using a cellphone app. The information available on the labels was manually extracted and the disclosure of food additives was analyzed using a computer assisted approach. Results showed that 38.1% of the products disclosed at least one food additive associated with gut dysbiosis. Disclosure was most frequent in ice-cream and popsicles, beverages, meat products and analogues, desserts, and fats, oils and fat and oil emulsions. Potassium sorbate was the individual additive associated with gut dysbiosis most frequently disclosed on the labels, followed by mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acid, sucralose, carboxymethylcellulose, acesulphame potassium, carrageenan, and sodium benzoate. These food additives frequently co-occurred and network analysis enabled the identification of patterns of co-occurrence. Taken together, results from the present work suggest the need to conduct additional research to assess the intake of food additives associated with gut dysbiosis at the population level, as well as to evaluate potential synergistic effects of food additives.

A quantitative analysis of vitamin C in fruits, khat (Catha edulis), and pharmaceutical tablets using potassium iodate titration

Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is an essential antioxidant in various resources, such as pharmaceutical tablets, fruits, and vegetables. The human body cannot synthesize it by itself. This research aims to measure the vitamin C content in 29 commonly assessable compressed tablets, effervescent tablets, fruits, and khat (Catha edulis) leaves that are found in the Yemeni local markets. This study used a redox titration method with potassium iodate. These results reveal confirmed European and American standards and no significant difference between the measured vitamin C content in the commercial tablet (p <0.05) and the amount stated on the product label, as well as the highest amount of vitamin C content in fruits in guava (111.21 mg/100 g), while the lowest amount of vitamin C is in apple (8.72 mg/100 g).

Energy and Sugar Content of Ready-To-Drink Tea and Coffee Marketed in South Tangerang, Indonesia

Excessive sugar consumption, primarily through sugar-sweetened beverages, has been linked to the occurrence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The Ministry of Health of Indonesia recommends that the maximum sugar consumption for the general population not exceed 50 g per day. One type of sugar-sweetened beverage that has been massively distributed in Indonesia is ready-to-drink (RTD) tea and coffee. This study examined the energy and sugar content of the RTD coffee and tea marketed in the modern retail market and their contribution to the Indonesian recommended dietary allowance. This study was conducted in June 2022. Ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee and tea were purchased from five supermarkets and three minimarkets in South Tangerang City, Banten, Indonesia. Data obtained from the product label was recorded and then analysed descriptively. 47 coffee (17 brands) and 58 tea (20 brands) products were obtained during the survey. Most coffee (55.3%) and tea (86.2%) products are distributed in plastic bottles. The median serving size of coffee (240 mL) is slightly smaller than that of tea (250 mL). On average, one serving size of coffee and tea products contributes to 35.7% and 34.8% of the recommended dietary allowance of sugar, respectively. Consumers are advised to take caution while consuming RTD coffee and tea products as they might contribute to excessive sugar consumption. The government must impose regulations to limit sugar content in food and beverage products and increase consumer education to reduce sugar consumption, especially sugar-sweetened products.

Contact sensitization to fragrance mix I and fragrance mix II among European dermatitis patients: A systematic review.

Fragrance substances are a frequent cause of contact allergy worldwide. Fragrance exposure varies by sex, age and possibly country, influenced by cosmetic availability, environmental conditions and cultural practices. To systematically review and gather prevalence of sensitization to fragrance mix I (FM I) and fragrance mix II (FM II) in consecutively patch tested European dermatitis patients. A total of 4134 publications on patch test results of European dermatitis patients, published from 1981 to 2022, were systematically reviewed according to a previously registered and published PROSPERO protocol. Eighty-four eligible original articles were analysed. Overall prevalence of sensitization to fragrance mix I (FM I) was 6.81% (95% CI: 6.37-7.28), and FM II was 3.64% (95% CI: 3.3-4.01). Sensitization to FM I was most prevalent in Central and Eastern Europe and to FM II in Western Europe. No clear time trends were observed. Among paediatric dermatitis patients, sensitization prevalence for FM I and FM II was 4.09% (95% CI: 3.37-4.96) and 2.17% (95% CI: 1.53-3.07). The frequency of positive patch test results for both FMI and FMII remains high. Sensitization is also prevalent among children. Enhanced regulation and labelling of cosmetic products play a vital role in averting exposure and sensitization to fragrance allergens.

Analisis Kualitas Pelayanan Terhadap Kepuasan Konsumen di CV. Mubarokfood Cipta Delicia

Mubarokfood is a company producing typical food products, namely jenang and dodol. Facilitated with the modern-type market, Mubarokfood does not only eager to sell the products but also provides convenience for the customer while roaming around the showroom. Yet, the improvement process should be performed continuously. Especially after the earlier observation discovered some dissatisfactions among customers, including the lack of employee resposinveness in serving, lack of trolly. According to the mentioned dilemma, an assessment of the quality service and its improvements are required. A combination of servqual and Importance Performance Analysis (IPA) method were implemented within the study to asses the service quality level perceived by the customer. A questionnaire containing 5 dimensions, namely Tangible, Reliability, Responsiveness, Assurance and Emphaty, with detailed 25 service attributes were distributed among 100 respondents. The servqual method found out that the 5 dimensions have overall negative value while the IPA method discovered that the product placement procedure should be improved to ease the visitors, employee responsiveness improvement is required. Finally, the study suggested to initiate an intensive employee training related to the customer service and product knowledge for marketing. Also, a noticeable product label could be set on top of the layout

Determination of high-intensity sweeteners in bakery products marketed in Brazil and dietary exposure assessment

Bakery products, including biscuits, cakes and breads, generally present a high content of simple sugars of rapid absorption, high fat content and low amount of dietary fiber, which make them highly caloric foods. Although sucrose is a very important ingredient in bakery products for its preservation characteristics and a significant source of energy, there is a growing interest in replacing this sugar with alternative substances, such as high-intensity sweeteners (HIS) that provide sweetness with no or low calories. In Brazil, there is no data on the use of HIS in this class of food. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the presence of HIS in baked food commercially available in the country and estimate the dietary exposure to these food additives. For that, an analytical method was established for the simultaneous determination of nine HIS in bakery products using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS/MS). Sample preparation steps were required based on mechanical kneading for homogenization, hexane extraction of fats, dilution in mobile phase and vortex homogenization, prior to injection into the system. The results obtained during validation showed that coefficients of variation (CV%) for precision were lower than 13.8% and the accuracy was between 91.6% and 109.1%. Aspartame, acesulfame potassium, sodium cyclamate, saccharin, sucralose and steviol glycosides were found in the samples, used alone or in combinations of up five substances. Steviol glycosides were the most found HIS in biscuit samples, while sucralose was the most common sweetener in cake and bread samples. Analysis of product labels revealed only three different claims, .i.e. ‘no sugar’, ‘no added sugar’ and ‘zero sugar’, with the latter being found in 70% of the samples. Exposure to HIS through the consumption of bakery products estimated per eating occasion showed no concerns regarding toxicological risk.

Sosialisasi Desain Kemasan dan Label Produk Sabun Cuci Piring pada Dasawisma Anggrek Bulan Desa Pandau Jaya

This community service was carried out at Dasawisma Anggrek Bulan in Pandau Jaya Village, Siak Hulu District, Kampar Regency, Riau Province. This activity was held on Sunday 09 June 2024 with the theme Socialization of Packaging and Label Design for Dish Soap Products at Mompreneur Wisma Anggrek Bulan, Pandau Jaya Village. Packaging and labels are one of the important factors in product marketing. Apart from protecting the product to prevent damage, packaging is also a promotional tool to attract consumer interest. This service activity was carried out with the aim of increasing the knowledge of Dasawisma Anggrek Bulan mompreneurs regarding branding. The method of implementing this service is carried out in two ways, namely the lecture method and practice. It is hoped that the results of this community service activity will increase the understanding and ability of mompreneur members of Dasawisma Anggrek Bulan in making product packaging and labels so that they are useful and have a positive impact on the business being developed.

To Dilute or Not to Dilute: Nominal Titer Dosing for Genetic Medicines.

Recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) has become a popular platform for many gene therapy applications. The strength of AAV-based products is a critical quality attribute that affects the efficacy of the drug and is measured as the concentration of vector genomes, or physical titer. Because the dosing of patients is based on the titer measurement, it is critical for manufacturers to ensure that the measured titer of the drug product is close to the actual concentration of the batch. Historically, dosing calculations have been performed using the measured titer, which is reported on the drug product label. However, due to recent regulatory guidance, sponsors are now expected to label the drug product with nominal or "target" titer. This new expectation for gene therapy products can pose a challenge in the presence of process and analytical variability. In particular, the manufacturer must decide if a dilution of the drug substance is warranted at the drug product stage to bring the strength in line with the nominal value. In this paper, we present two straightforward statistical methods to aid the manufacturer in the dilution decision. These approaches use the understanding of process and analytical variability to compute probabilities of achieving the desired drug product titer. We also provide an approach for determining an optimal assay replication strategy for achieving the desired probability of meeting drug product release specifications.

Signaling sustainability: Do Canadian consumers prefer broad or narrow food sustainability labels?

AbstractSustainability labeling has been increasingly integrated into many food product labels in response to consumer interest in purchasing sustainably produced food. While a product label may contain the phrase “sustainably produced”, little additional information is available to consumers regarding how sustainability has been enhanced, or the dimensions of sustainability encompassed by the label. Using data from a survey of 1416 Canadian consumers, we examine consumer perceptions of sustainability and preferences for broad versus narrow sustainability claims across several contexts, including the dimensions of sustainability and the scope of a sustainability standard with respect to compliance criteria, product coverage, and geographical coverage. We find low levels of consumer knowledge and understanding of sustainability labeling, heterogeneity with respect to which dimension of sustainability appeals to different types of consumers, and a general preference for broad over narrowly defined sustainability labels, particularly with respect to the scope of criteria encompassed by the label. Our findings suggest some confusion as to what constitutes sustainability in the context of agri‐food, but that broader, more encompassing labels are likely to gain more traction with consumers.