What is the value given by consumers to nutritional label information? Results from a large investigation in Europe.

ABSTRACT

RATIONALE Nutrition labels on prepackaged foods have been widely advocated as a medium to foster healthier eating habits in the general population. OBJECTIVE: The study is aimed at understanding how people value nutritional information on food labels, in particular for front-of-pack labeling. METHODS: A phone-assisted survey of 7550 consumers in 16 European countries was conducted. People were asked about their opinion on nutritional information provided at different levels, from the media to public institutions, and their commitment to healthy behavior. The value of pack labeling was estimated using a willingness-to-pay (WTP) elicitation technique. RESULTS: Older age groups (>45 years old), members of a larger family, people of low income or low education, and those who perceived themselves to be obese valued front-of-pack nutritional labeling. WTP estimates across all countries provided an average accepted added price of $4.32 to the overall yearly food expenditure (95% confidence interval, 3.33-3.68). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, perceived value of labeling is low. However, factors affecting the value for consumer of nutritional labeling appear to be strictly linked to the socioeconomic and health status of the respondents.