Consumer Perceptions of Graded, Graphic and Text Label Presentations for Qualified Health Claims
- 14 February 2008
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Informa UK Limited in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition
- Vol. 48 (3), 248-256
- https://doi.org/10.1080/10408390701286058
Abstract
On December 18, 2002, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the Consumer Health Information for Better Nutrition Initiative. The initiative's goal is to make available more and better information about conventional foods and dietary supplements to help Americans improve their health and reduce risk of disease by making sound dietary decisions. It included a rating system to assess the “weight of the publicly available evidence.” It assigns one of four ranked levels to the claim thus resulting in qualified health claims. Two phases of research were conducted by the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation. Qualitative research to assess consumer understanding, vocabulary, and familiarity with claims helped with the design and orientation of the second quantitative research phase. The quantitative phase employed a Web-based survey. The claim formats included: report card graphic, report card text, embedded claim text, point-counterpoint, structure/function claim, and nutrient content claim. Respondents were asked to rate the product for perceived strength of scientific evidence provided to support the claim, and questions about the product's perceived healthfulness, quality, safety, and purchase intent. Consumers found it difficult to discriminate across four levels and showed inclination to project the scientific validity grade onto other product attributes. Consumers showed preference for simpler messages.Keywords
This publication has 7 references indexed in Scilit:
- How Do Front and Back Package Labels Influence Beliefs About Health Claims?Journal of Consumer Affairs, 2003
- How do consumers use nutrition label information?Nutrition & Food Science, 2002
- The nutrition label – which information is looked at?Nutrition & Food Science, 2002
- The Impact of Health Claims on Consumer Search and Product Evaluation Outcomes: Results from FDA Experimental DataJournal of Marketing & Public Policy, 1999
- The Effects of Nutrition Package Claims, Nutrition Facts Panels, and Motivation to Process Nutrition Information on Consumer Product EvaluationsJournal of Marketing & Public Policy, 1997
- New Food Labeling Regulations and the Flow of Nutrition Information to ConsumersJournal of Marketing & Public Policy, 1993
- Public Policy Issues in Health Claims for FoodsJournal of Marketing & Public Policy, 1991