This study investigates the ex-ante effects of the front-of-package (FoP) nutrition labeling for food products high in saturated fat, sugar, and/or sodium, which is a new regulation recently announced by Health Canada to combat obesity. The Canadian food industry has until January 1, 2026, to comply with the new regulations. To examine the ex-ante effects of this policy, an incentivized experiment is conducted in a lab that replicates a grocery store. The results at the product level indicate a significant decrease in the probability of choosing a product with a “high in” label compared to those without “high in” labels. Basket-level results demonstrate that FoP labeling is significantly associated with a lower quantity share and dollar value share of products high in one of the mentioned nutrients selected in a grocery basket, as well as fewer grams of sugar and sodium in a grocery basket. Furthermore, the study reveals that individuals with higher educational attainment, a risk-averse nature, and a lower level of self-reported nutrition knowledge tend to react more to the labeling. The insights from eye-tracking data further support these results, revealing that product choices are deterred by a fixation on “high in” labels. This study contributes to an improved understanding of the pathway in which labeling schemes influence food choices.

中文翻译：

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包装正面营养标签“高含量”对食物选择的影响：来自杂货店购物实验的证据


这项研究调查了包装正面 (FoP) 营养标签对饱和脂肪、糖和/或钠含量高的食品的事前影响，这是加拿大卫生部最近宣布的一项对抗肥胖的新法规。加拿大食品行业必须在 2026 年 1 月 1 日之前遵守新法规。为了检验该政策的事前效果，在模拟杂货店的实验室中进行了一项激励实验。产品层面的结果表明，与没有“高含量”标签的产品相比，选择带有“高含量”标签的产品的概率显着降低。篮子级别的结果表明，FoP 标签与杂货篮中所选营养素之一含量高的产品的数量份额和美元价值份额较低以及杂货篮中糖和钠的克数较少显着相关。此外，研究还表明，受教育程度较高、具有规避风险的性格以及自我报告的营养知识水平较低的人往往会对标签做出更大的反应。眼球追踪数据的见解进一步支持了这些结果，表明产品选择因对“高含量”标签的关注而受到阻碍。这项研究有助于更好地了解标签方案影响食物选择的途径。