Improving the understanding of key nutritional elements to support healthier and more informed food choices: The effect of front-of-pack label bundles

Objectives In the current open debate at the European level on what would be the best Front-of-Pack Label (FOPL) to support customers' healthier and more informed food choices, little effort has been dedicated to analyzing the potential effects of bundling existing FOPLs. This study aims to compare the effects of consumers' subjective understanding and liking of different types of FOPL bundles. Methods We performed an experimental design by manipulating the FOPLs' scheme, where different types of FOPL bundles were designed according to the “directiveness” of the FOPLs' scheme. A “mixed” bundle was composed of a non-directive label (i.e., NutrInform Battery) and a directive label (i.e., Keyhole), and a “double-directive” bundle was composed of two directive labels (i.e., Nutri-Score and Keyhole). This study was conducted among a sample of 327 Swedish individuals responsible for purchases recruited through international web panel providers. Results The results showed that a mixed bundle has been more effective than the double-directive bundle and the single-directive label (i.e., the existing FOPL in the investigated market) in allowing consumers to improve their subjective understanding (in terms of comprehensibility, help-to-shop, and complexity reduction) and liking towards the labels. Conclusions This study extends the current research on bundling in general and on FOPL bundles in particular by providing evidence regarding consumers' subjective understanding and liking of the labels. Additionally, the research provided findings that might be relevant for policymakers by suggesting to investigate bundle of FOPLs to help the consumers' understanding in their process toward healthier and more informed food choices.