Influence of different models of front-of-pack nutrition labeling on the Argentinian consumer acceptability: Case of crackers

CUFFIA FACUNDO; SIMONELLA MELISA; ASSELBORN GIULIANA; GERFFAU CAROLINA; ROJAS-RIVAS, EDGAR

Paris

Conferencia; 14th International Conference On Agriculture And Horticulture; 2019

Prevalence of overweight, obesity and non-communicable diseases continue to increase in Argentina and in the world. The massive consumption of ultra-processed foods rich in sugars, fats and sodium constitute one of the main factors in the development of these pathologies. In several countries, different front labeling models have been developed with simplified nutritional information on food product packages in order to mitigate this situation, guiding the consumer towards the choice of healthy foods. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of three different types of front-of-pack nutrition labels: warning stamps, nutritional traffic lights and nutri-score, on the crackers acceptability in Argentinian consumers. An acceptability test with two version of crackers (¨traditional¨ and ¨free or reduced¨ nutrient) was carried out in four stage with 400 consumers. The first one was carried out without labels. In the subsequent three ones the different front labels were presented along with the samples to be analyzed in order to quantify the difference in acceptability in the presence or absence of the labels. The results showed that all FOP nutritional labeling positively influenced the choice of the healthiest crackers. When analyzing the responses by sociodemographic segments, it was observed that the warning stamps had a greater impact, mainly in women. These results indicate that the implementation of front-of-pack nutrition labeling model in Argentina could contribute positively to healthy food choices.