Do Food Labels Lead To The Desired Choice?
Author: Maryam Ayres
Time for reading: ~1
minutes
Last Updated:
August 08, 2022
Price and taste are the most important motivators, and whether the products are healthy remains in the background. Is this the way it should be?
Information about the caloric composition of food labels does not affect food choices, according to US scientists.
The study was conducted after the introduction in 2008 of mandatory calorie labeling of fast food products in New York, comparing the data with those in New Jersey, where no labeling policy is in place.
Researchers have found that even if consumers are aware of what the goods contain, it has little effect on the final choice of food.
Price and taste are the most important motivators, and whether the products are healthy remains in the background, experts say.
427 teenagers and parents with young children interviewed at the entrance of the food establishments claim that they are informed about the caloric content of the products they buy and are aware that it is high, but this does not affect their decision. Consumers state that they continue to consume the same foods that they bought before the introduction of mandatory labeling.
Only 1/4 of people say they often limit the choice and amount of food they buy in an attempt to control their weight.
"Other ways to reduce calorie intake are needed. We realized that labeling was not enough to counteract the processes of obesity, "said Dr. Brian Elble of New York University and study leader.
The study was published in the International Journal of Obesity .
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