Effects on Consumers' Subjective Understanding and Liking of Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labels: A Study on Slovenian and Dutch Consumers

In the context of the ongoing debate on front-of-pack labels (FOPL), extant research highlights a lack of clear indications on which label is most effective in increasing consumers' knowledge of food nutritional quality, and in favoring informed food choices. In this study, we have compared the effects of two different labels, one nutrient-specific label (i.e., NutrInform Battery) and one summary label (i.e., Nutri-Score), in terms of consumers' "subjective understanding" and "liking". Our work advances prior research on FOPL performance by focusing on two different countries-which have different socio-political contexts and which, from previous studies, present limited evidence on the topic-Slovenia, currently utilizing the Protective Food logo, and the Netherlands, who has recently adopted the Nutri-Score. The study also confirms, in line with previous research, a higher effectiveness of the nutrient-specific label, NutrInform Battery, on all analyzed dimensions in tested countries, when compared to the summary label, Nutri-Score

A 20-Country Comparative Assessment of the Effectiveness of Nutri-Score vs. NutrInform Battery Front-of-Pack Nutritional Labels on Consumer Subjective Understanding and Liking

The incidence of overweight and obesity has generated significant concerns among Euro pean consumers and institutions. As part of a set of measures undertaken, the European Union (EU) called for one harmonized mandatory front-of-pack nutritional label (FOPL) to improve consumer food nutritional knowledge and encourage healthier and more informed food choices. Different types of FOPLs, ranging from nutrient-specific labels—such as the NutrInform Battery—to summary labels—such as the Nutri-Score—have been developed and introduced in different markets, reporting different degrees of effectiveness in terms of understanding. The aim of this study is to provide actionable insights by analyzing a specific part of the complex consumers’ decision-making process in food when aided by FOPLs. Adopting a between-subject experiment on a sample of 4560 respondents in 20 EU member countries, the study compares the consumer subjective understanding and liking of two labels currently under examination by the EU bodies, the NutrInform Battery and the Nutri-Score. At an aggregated level, the results show that NutrInform Battery is more effective than Nutri-Score in improving consumer subjective understanding and leads to a higher liking towards the label. A detailed by-country analysis highlights either a superiority or a parity of NutrInform Battery for subjective understanding and liking. Theoretically, this study, through a large panel of respondents, adds the fundamental perspective on subjective understanding, complementing the findings of extant research on objective understanding, and further clarifies the role of liking as a complementary element in the food decision-making process toward heathier and more informed food choices. This might be of significant relevance in providing additional evidence that can be used by policymakers in their attempt toward the selection of a uniform FOPL at EU level

Overcoming congruity issues of Nutritional information through Front-of-Pack Nutritional Labels: an investigation on the relative effects of Nutri-Score and NutrInform Battery

The growing rates of overweight and obesity stimulated an increasing number of individuals to actively pursue healthier lifestyles and seek nutrition information to enhance their wellbeing. As consumers gather nutritional cues from different sources (e.g., information from Front-of-Pack Nutritional Labels, scientific reports, mass media, advertising, peer recommendation etc.), they are sometime offered Conflicting Nutritional Information. Recent studies have highlighted the detrimental effects of Conflicting Nutritional Information, making it relevant for policymakers to understand the role of Front of-Pack Nutritional Labels in assisting consumers to make sense of the broader nutritional information system, particularly in the presence of contrasting messages. Our findings highlight that non-directive labels, compared to directive labels, increase the perceived congruence between the nutritional information provided by the Nutritional Labels and other external information entities, which in turn influence the perceived credibility, attitudinal, and adoption intention to the Front-of-Pack labels

Uncovering the Effect of European Policy-Making Initiatives in Addressing Nutrition-Related Issues: A Systematic Literature Review and Bibliometric Analysis on Front-of-Pack Labels

The last decades have been marked by the introduction of front-of-pack labels (FoPL) as an institutional corrective action against obesity and nutrition-related illnesses. However, FoPL-related policy-making initiatives issued by the European Union evolved over time and led to a diversity of labels with different effects on consumers' decisions. As a result, the extant literature adapted to the regulative scenario over the years and investigated the effects of the labels, creating consensus on some topics while being fragmented on others. Similarly, policy-makers adapted some regulations to the evidence supported by the research. With the aim to systematize the overall structure and evolution of the literature on FoPL, investigate the presence of a consensus on specific topics through a co-citation analysis, and examine the evolution of the consensus and co-citation networks over the years and potential research gaps, we report the results of bibliometric and co-citation analyses and a systematic literature review involving 170 papers and a selection of 49 articles published in the last months, for a total of 219 articles, analysed according to three timespans (Period 1 (1989-2011); Period 2 (2012-2016) and Period 3 (2017-2022)). Our findings highlight the interplay of policy development and FoPL research, the presence of few self-reinforcing and well-established co-citation networks based on validated evidence in the literature and the presence of alternative emerging theories that offer different and valid perspectives overlooked by mainstream co-citation research networks

Unveiling the impact of front-of-pack nutritional labels in conflicting nutrition information – A congruity perspective on olive oil

An increasing awareness of the importance of healthy eating prompted consumers to gather nutritional cues from various sources, often resulting in conflicting nutrition information for the same food. This can lead to unintended consequences, such as decreased consumer interest in dietary information and behaviors contrary to healthy advice, particularly when the sources are deemed highly credible by consumers. In a series of three experiments, we aim to uncover the underlying cognitive mechanisms connected to complementary information provided by Front-of-Pack Nutritional Labels (FOPLs), exploring if conflicting nutrition information is generated when consumers integrate the labels’ information with other sources. Using olive oil as a case of products associated with conflicting nutrition information (CNI), Study 1 shows that directive labels (e.g., Nutri-Score) generate CNI when combined with either internal (i.e., pre-existing health knowledge) or external entities (i.e., knowledge from scientific information). In contrast, non-directive labels (e. g., NutrInform Battery) do not, in either condition. Study 2 explains that consumers establish a lower level of congruence between information provided by the internal entity and FOPL when the label is directive. Study 3 confirms a lower level of congruence between the information available from the external entities and FOPLs when the label type is directive, compared to non-directive. Furthermore, this diminished congruence as a negative impact on consumer attitudes and their intentions to adopt Nutritional Labels. Overall, this research delves into the interactions among various information sources from a congruence perspective, offering actionable insights for managers and policymakers to avoid becoming entangled by conflicting information

Overcoming the blockchain technology credibility gap

Blockchain technology has been designed to improve the transmission of transparent information across a variety of industries and products. Yet, consumers tend to perceive product information provided by blockchain technology (vs. humans) as less credible. As this may not apply to all consumers, it becomes critical for companies to understand how to improve blockchain perceived credibility. This work investigates how individual differences and marketing actions shape consumer responses to product information provided by blockchain technology (vs. humans). Four controlled experiments demonstrate that consumers perceive the information provided by blockchain technology (vs. humans) as having less credibility, which in turn decreases word-of-mouth and intention to share information about the product on social media (Study 1). This effect is stronger for consumers with lower cognition needs (Study 2a), which in turn affects willingness to buy and actual behavior (Study 2b). Providing social proof – i.e., the number of satisfied customers who recommend blockchain technology – increases blockchain perceived credibility (Study 3). These insights deepen the understanding of how individual differences shape consumer responses to product information provided by blockchain technology and offer insights on how to boost technology credibilit

Measuring the Effect of Blockchain Extrinsic Cues on Consumers' Perceived Flavor and Healthiness: A Cross-Country Analysis

Many studies in the related literature have proven that the perception of flavor and healthiness can be affected by both the product’s intrinsic and extrinsic cues. Package designs, brands, colors, labels and other visual elements exert and influence consumers’ expectations and guide them toward food decisions. With the increasing initiatives promoted within Europe in support of the adoption of blockchain technology in supply chains and agri-food contexts, in the coming years, packages will be used with additional product information certified with the technology itself. Cueing packages with blockchain-certified information could affect consumers in their overall flavor and health perceptions, similarly to that previously demonstrated with other extrinsic cues. In the present study, we analyzed a sample of 310 primary grocery shoppers from Germany, Italy and the UK, demonstrating the effectiveness of technology-certified information on the package of animal milk in influencing consumers’ flavor and health perceptions and exploring the differences and similarities across the three countries and milk categories

The effects of combining front‐of‐pack nutritional labels on consumers' subjective understanding, trust, and preferences

The decision to adopt a unique mandatory front‐of‐pack nutritional label (FOPL) has currently been delayed by the European Union (EU) as contrasting evidence exists on which one might consistently better encourage customers toward healthier diets. In this context, little attention has been dedicated to investigating the potential effects of having more than one front‐of‐pack nutritional label on food products. This study aims to verify if a combination of front‐of‐pack nutritional labels (i.e., a “bundle”) performs better for consumer understanding, trust, and preferences (such as liking) toward the label by helping consumers make healthier and more informed food choices. With this in mind, the study focused on three front‐of‐pack nutritional labels developed by public institutions that are central to the research and the recent EU policy‐making debate. In three controlled experiments, building upon the “directiveness” front‐of‐pack nutritional label schemes, we find that the combination of a nondirective (i.e., NutrInform Battery) and a directive (i.e., Keyhole) label outperforms both the combination of two directive labels (i.e., Nutri‐Score and Keyhole) and a single‐directive front‐of‐pack nutritional label (i.e., Keyhole) on subjective understanding, trust in the label and liking. Results cast light on the bundling of front‐of‐pack nutritional labels as a potentially different approach that might be further analyzed by researchers and provide a substantive contribution to managers and policy‐makers in their decision toward a unified front‐of-pack nutritional label within the European Communit

Sustainability perceptions of high-end fashion products in the Metaverse: a comparative investigation on different media settings

Over the past years, fashion customers and stakeholders have become more concerned to how sustainability goals are being implemented. Despite the increasing relevance of 3D virtual reality, limited attention has been devoted to exploring its effects on consumer sustainability perception. This study investigates how consumers rank a set of objective and visible practices and of subjective responses and emotions when exposed to Metaverse comparing the outcomes with 2D environments. Findings suggest the presence of significant relationships between the environment in which the discussion is conducted, and the way consumers perceive specific practices and emotions connected to sustainable high-end fashion products

Measuring Consumers’ Acceptance in Food Labels: a Cross-Country Investigation on Usefulness, Ease of Use and Trust

Front-Of-Pack Labels (FOPLs) are being increasingly investigated as a tool to guide customers toward healthier food choices. Existing theoretical models focused on consumers understanding have not been able to provide clear evidences of which labels are more effective on food choices. Drawing on extant studies conducted on primary grocery shoppers from Italy, France and the UK we developed a new framework, the Front-Of-Pack Acceptance Model (FOPAM), to evaluate label effectiveness in terms of usefulness, ease of use, attitude, trust and behavioral intention. Our findings highlight significant relationships between perceived usefulness, ease of use of the labels and trust towards them, and the way consumers form their attitudes and intentions towards buying healthier product