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Nutritional and economic impact of 5 alternative front-of-pack nutritional labels: experimental evidence

Author

Listed:
  • Paolo Crosetto

    (GAEL - Laboratoire d'Economie Appliquée de Grenoble - Grenoble INP - Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology - INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - UGA [2016-2019] - Université Grenoble Alpes [2016-2019], INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique)

  • Anne Lacroix

    (GAEL - Laboratoire d'Economie Appliquée de Grenoble - Grenoble INP - Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology - INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - UGA [2016-2019] - Université Grenoble Alpes [2016-2019], INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique)

  • Laurent Muller

    (GAEL - Laboratoire d'Economie Appliquée de Grenoble - Grenoble INP - Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology - INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - UGA [2016-2019] - Université Grenoble Alpes [2016-2019], INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique)

  • Bernard Ruffieux

    (GAEL - Laboratoire d'Economie Appliquée de Grenoble - Grenoble INP - Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology - INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - UGA [2016-2019] - Université Grenoble Alpes [2016-2019], Grenoble INP - Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology)

Abstract
We study in a laboratory framed field experiment the impact of five Front of Pack labels (FOPL) on the nutritional quality and cost of a daily consumption basket. We employ a difference in difference experimental design, between subjects, to cleanly identify the impact of FOPL. 691 subjects issued from the general population shop twice within a catalog of 290 products: a first time without and a second unan-nounced time with labels. Purchases are real. We test five different labels and compare result against a benchmark treatment in which subjects shop twice with no labels. Labels include the existing Multiple Traffic Lights, Reference Intakes and Health Star Rating, and two newly proposed designs: NutriScore, a 5-color synthetic label, and SENS, a frequency-based recommendation label. We measure nutritional quality using the FSA score. All labels but Reference Intakes significantly improve nutritional quality. NutriScore is significantly more effective than all other labels, followed by the Australian Health Star and Multiple Traffic Lights. The nutritional improvements due to the labeling come at an economic cost, as the average cost of 2000Kcal increases for all labels. Nonetheless, we show that the extra cost for a unit nutritional improvement is borne mainly by richer households. Behaviorally, change is concentrated in the extremal categories of each label. Easier to understand labels have a higher impact and crowd out more successfully other information cues like ingredients lists and nutritional tables.

Suggested Citation

  • Paolo Crosetto & Anne Lacroix & Laurent Muller & Bernard Ruffieux, 2018. "Nutritional and economic impact of 5 alternative front-of-pack nutritional labels: experimental evidence," Working Papers hal-01805431, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:wpaper:hal-01805431
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-01805431
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Laurent Muller & M. Prevost, 2016. "What cognitive sciences have to say about the impacts of nutritional labelling formats," Post-Print hal-01349185, HAL.
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    16. Laurent Muller & Marie Prevost, 2016. "What cognitive sciences have to say about the impacts of nutritional labelling formats," Post-Print hal-01306124, HAL.
    17. Becker, Mark W. & Bello, Nora M. & Sundar, Raghav P. & Peltier, Chad & Bix, Laura, 2015. "Front of pack labels enhance attention to nutrition information in novel and commercial brands," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 76-86.
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    Cited by:

    1. Pierre Dubois & Paulo Albuquerque & Olivier Allais & Céline Bonnet & Patrice Bertail & Pierre Combris & Saadi Lahlou & Natalie Rigal & Bernard Ruffieux & Pierre Chandon, 2021. "Effects of front-of-pack labels on the nutritional quality of supermarket food purchases: evidence from a large-scale randomized controlled trial," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 49(1), pages 119-138, January.
    2. Moustapha Sarr, 2023. "Inciting Family Healthy Eating: Taxation and Nudging," EconomiX Working Papers 2023-13, University of Paris Nanterre, EconomiX.
    3. Manon Egnell & Paolo Crosetto & Tania D’almeida & Emmanuelle Kesse-Guyot & Mathilde Touvier & Bernard Ruffieux & Serge Hercberg & Laurent Muller & Chantal Julia, 2019. "Modelling the impact of different front-of-package nutrition labels on mortality from non-communicable chronic disease," Post-Print hal-02190212, HAL.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Front of Pack; Experiment; Nutritional labels; Etiquetage nutritionnel; Economie expérimentale;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • Q18 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Policy; Food Policy; Animal Welfare Policy

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