Colorful Nutri-Score labels attract more consumer attention in supermarkets

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-colour system from favourable 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 grey version on the price tag, but the colourful 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 colourful labelling 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 unfavourable 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 analyse 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-coloured Nutri-Score labels on the front package and shelf price tag; greyscale Nutri-Score labels on the front package and shelf price tag; the current supermarket standard – a single multi-coloured 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 grey. 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 recognise and understand the information at a glance. A multi-coloured label can be helpful here."

Isabelle Weiß, lead author, PhD researcher at Göttingen University

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

The study was funded by LI Food – Landesinitiative Ernährungswirtschaft des Niedersächsischen Ministeriums für Wirtschaft, Verkehr und Bauen.