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Regulating Front‐of‐Package Nutrition Information Disclosures: A Test of Industry Self‐Regulation vs. Other Popular Options

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Journal of Consumer Affairs

Published online on

Abstract

In recent years, there has been considerable attention surrounding the topic of front‐of‐package (FOP) nutrition information disclosures. FOP nutrition disclosures are typically used to provide nutrient information that may help consumers more easily determine if a particular food is a healthy option. The current research compares four different types of FOP formats to assess consumer response. Results from two studies suggest that all FOP disclosure formats tested produce significantly more positive consumer responses than packages without any FOP nutrition information at all. Study 1 finds that levels of consumer nutrition knowledge moderate the FOP‐ease of use relationship, while Study 2 reveals that an educational prime also moderates this same relationship. Additional exploratory thought analysis indicates that packages with FOP disclosures generally produce more nutrition‐related thoughts than packages without any FOP nutrition information. Our results offer implications for both industry and government regulation, and generate several fruitful areas for future research.