Megan Winslow of the University of Florida
A new University of Florida study found that some food labels designed to fine-tune Americans towards healthier food choices could have the opposite effect.
This study is particularly convincing as the US Food and Drug Administration considers whether it requires a frontline food label for packaging. Through the newly proposed rules, agents have introduced labels highlighting the addition of saturated fats, sodium and sugar. Each value on the label, which is the recommended percentage of daily values, corresponds to one of three levels: low, medium, or high.
A UF/IFAS study published in the Journal Food Policy looked at front labels of packages that profess internal content as “health.” Researchers found that labels reduce the willingness of consumers to pay for yogurt unless an explanation of the agency’s standards for FDA support and designation is advocated.
“The study underscores the importance of helping consumers understand the meaning of labels,” said Jianhui “Jeffrey” Liu, a doctoral candidate in the UF/IFAS food resource economics department. Masu.
Liu and his team asked 308 subjects to review the label design for Frone of Package by Strawberry Greek Yogurt and show how much they are willing to pay. One package design included a “healthy” label. One includes the “Great Taste” label. One included both the labels and the controls, the last design, and neither labels were included.
Compared to controls, respondents were 18% less likely to be “healthy” yogurt, with yogurt being labelled “both healthy and ‘great tastes’. However, the “great taste” label presented alone did not positively or negatively affect respondents’ willingness to pay.
Findings suggest that health labels may evoke perceptions of taste and dul compromise.
“It may not be enough to simply put “health” on a product. If consumers wonder what makes food healthy or wonder if they associate labels with unwanted attributes that taste bad, it can even backfire,” Liu said. I said that.
In particular, negative discounts related to “healthy” labels were reduced with the following text: This label indicates that the product meets the FDA’s proposed criteria for being designated as “healthy.”
Research shows that while consumers may be confused about health claims, confused or skeptical about health claims, the perceived credibility of authoritative sources affects their behavior.
Liu hopes that the study will help policy makers and food industry experts design effective packaging labels that will allow consumers to make informed decisions about foods they eat. I’m here.
“This study supports cultural changes to healthier dietary patterns and improves national health and well-being while reducing the burden of diet-related illnesses,” Li said. “Setting the stage for more transparent, effective and influential public health interventions could impact all consumers and food manufacturers across the country.”
