Nutritional Labeling, POP Influence Food Choices

ST. LOUISTwo new studies published in the August 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association suggest nutritional labeling and point-of-purchases signage heavily influence consumers healthy food choices.

In the first study, Food Label Use and Its Relation to Dietary Intake among U.S. Adults", Columbia University researchers examined the extent people used the nutritional label on food products and whether that use affected their nutrient intake. Using a sample of U.S. adults who participated in the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), they found that 61.6% of participants reported using the nutrition facts panel, 51.6% used the list of ingredients, 47.2% read the serving size, and 43.8% reviewed health claims at least sometimes when deciding to purchase a food product. Significant differences in mean nutrient intake of total calories, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, dietary fiber and sugars were observed between food label users and non-users with label users reporting healthier nutrient consumption. The largest differences observed were for total calories and fat and for use of specific nutrient information on the food label.

If the food label is to have a greater public health impact, rates of use will likely need to be increased among U.S. adults," the researchers wrote. Low rates of label use also suggest that national campaigns or modification of the food label may be needed to reduce the proportion of the population not using this information. Possible changes to the current label that have been suggested include bolding calorie information, reporting the total nutrient intake for foods likely to be consumed in a single sitting, and using more intuitive labeling that requires less cognitive processing such as a red, yellow and green traffic light signs on the front of the label."

The second study, Point-of-purchase nutrition information influences food-purchasing behaviors of college students: a pilot study", was shown to influence the purchasing behaviors of a multi-ethnic college population shopping at an on-campus convenience store. The 11-week study collected baseline sales data for six weeks during the middle of the Fall 2008 semester at San Jose State University. After students returned from winter break, Eat Smart" program materials featuring the Fuel Your Life" logo were placed in the on-campus convenience store. Sales data were collected during the middle of the Spring 2009 semester for five weeks, ending just before students left for Spring break.

Healthful items in seven food categories (cereal, bread, soup, cracker, canned vegetable, granola/energy bar, and salad dressing) were tagged throughout the market. There was no difference in price between the tagged and untagged items. While no significant difference in sales of any particular food item was observed between baseline and intervention, overall sales of tagged items, as a percentage of total sales in the cereal, soup, and cracker categories, increased as a result of the intervention, while sales of tagged bread items decreased. Though not statistically significant, the intervention resulted in a 3.6% increase in the percentage of sales from tagged items.