Colorful Nutri-Score labels more effective than gray

Anyone seeking to purchase healthy products at the supermarket needs clear guidance. Nutritional labeling schemes, such as Nutri-Score labels, are designed to help with that. The Nutri-Score front-of-pack label shows a five-color system from favorable nutritional composition in green (A) through to unfavorable in red (E). The scheme is optional on products across the EU but has been adopted by companies in several countries, for instance, Germany and the Netherlands. Some supermarkets also print a gray version on the price tag, but the colorful version on the shelf also attracts more attention here.

Researchers at Göttingen University—in collaboration with Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, the German Institute of Food Technology and Giessen University—studied consumers’ visual attention on these label formats. Their research showed colorful labeling catches the eye more frequently and for longer than monochrome. Particularly frequent and prolonged glances at the dark green A or the yellow C were usually accompanied by choosing this particular product. The red E, on the other hand, did not have the desired warning effect: even when this unfavorable rating was viewed frequently, the products still ended up in shopping baskets. The study was published in the journal Food Quality and Preference.

The researchers used eye-tracking data to analyze the behavior of 199 participants in Germany, investigating where consumers looked and which product they ultimately chose to buy. The participants were placed in a simulation of a supermarket and divided into four groups. Each group was presented with a different labeling option: multi-colored Nutri-Score labels on the front package and shelf price tag; grayscale Nutri-Score labels on the front package and shelf price tag; the current supermarket standard—a single multi-colored label on the front package; or no label at all.

“Our findings show that the five-colored, traffic-light Nutri-Score label is clearly more noticeable on price labels than when displayed in gray,” says lead author Isabelle Weiß, Ph.D. researcher at Göttingen University. “The greater visibility of the labels can make it easier to compare products and support people in making more health-conscious choices. The more companies display the Nutri-Score on their products, the sounder the comparison will be for consumers.”

Study leader Dr. Clara Mehlhose adds, “The Nutri-Score is intended to provide simple guidance in the supermarket. It is crucial that shoppers can recognize and understand the information at a glance. A multi-colored label can be helpful here.”

The study highlights just how crucial the color scheme and placement of nutritional labels are for grabbing attention and, consequently, for influencing decisions about what to buy. Policymakers and retailers need to prioritize the use of traffic-light-colored Nutri-Score labels on the front package as well as shelf price tags, in order to increase their effectiveness in everyday life.

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Gaby Clark

MA in English, copy editor since 2021 with experience in higher education and health content. Dedicated to trustworthy science news.

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Robert Egan

Bachelor’s in mathematical biology, Master’s in creative writing. Well-traveled with unique perspectives on science and language.

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