THE FDA’S FRONT-OF-PACKAGE LABEL MANDATE: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF POTENTIAL SYSTEMS

Negative consequences of the increasing presence of obese and overweight individuals in the US population are generating a growing public debate and a search for appropriate solutions by institutions and policymakers. Many other countries have introduced Front-of-Pack Nutritional Labels (FOPLs) as a relevant tool to counteract such trends, supported by extensive research indicating their relative effectiveness. Within this context, the US Food and Drug Administration has initiated a large-scale exploration to identify which mandatory FOPL should be introduced in the US market. This research contributes then to this current stream of research showing how different FOPLs impact with a different magnitude of effects consumer attitudes and behaviors toward healthier and more informed food choices. Among tested alternatives, evidences on an analysis on 181 US consumers suggest that - in the context of the US market - Nutri-Tips and NutrInform Battery performs significantly better than Nutri-Score on comprehension, help-to-shop and complexity reduction. Moreover, those results are not affected by socio-demographic differences. In terms of FOPL liking, tested labels are equivalent.