Consumers View Foods With Green Labeling as Healthier: Study
Those more focused on good nutrition were most swayed, researchers say.
The color of calorie labels on food packaging may lead people to believe they're healthier than they actually are, according to a new study.
People tend to think a candy bar with a green calorie label is healthier than ones with red or white labels, even when the number of calories is the same, researcher found.
This effect was strongest among people who place high importance on healthy eating.
More and more, calorie labels are popping up on the front of food packaging, including the wrappers of sugary snacks like candy bars. Currently, there's little oversight of these labels.
The research suggests that the color of calorie labels may have an effect on whether people perceive the food as healthy, over and above the actual nutritional information conveyed by the label, such as calorie content.
The findings have implications for nutrition labeling, given that front-of-package calorie labels have become increasingly common in the United States.
As government organizations including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration consider developing a uniform front-of-package labeling system for the U.S. marketplace, these findings suggest that the design and color of the labels may deserve as much attention as the nutritional information they convey.
Source: U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services
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