Directive vs. Non-Directive Front-of-Pack Nutritional Labels: Evidence on Healthiness Perceptions and Purchase Intentions from Private Label and National Brands in Poland

his exploratory study examines how directive (Nutri-Score) vs non-directive (NutrInform Battery) front-of-pack nutrition labels (FOPL) influence Polish consumers’ perceptions of product healthiness and purchase intentions in the breakfast cereal category, while controlling for brand type (national brand vs private label). Using a 2 × 2 between subjects experimental design with 202 Polish primary grocery shoppers, we compare Nutri-Score and NutrInform applied to fictitious cereal brands. Results from a MANOVA followed by univariate tests show that FOPL significantly affect perceived healthiness and, to a lesser extent, purchase intentions (with small effect sizes), while no significant differences emerge for brand attitude, trust, word-of-mouth or loyalty-related outcomes. Brand type does not significantly moderate these effects, suggesting that FOPL act primarily as category-level informational cues rather than as brand differentiating levers. The findings reinforce the informational role of FOPL in supporting more informed choices and highlight their limited immediate impact on broader brand-relationship metrics, offering insights for both retailers and policy makers in non-harmonized FOPL environments.