Effect of nutrition warning, brand, and claims on the perception of product healthiness by Brazilian consumers

Abstract

In response to the rise of Non-communicable Diseases, public policies, such as Front-of-package (FOP) nutrition labeling, have been implemented to clarify information on food labels and promote healthier eating habits. Brazil adopted black magnifier warning label in 2020, which consists of a black rectangle with a magnifier glass followed by the expression “High in” for three critical nutrients: added sugar, saturated fat and/or sodium. This study aims to evaluate the effect of black magnifier warning label, brand, and claims on Brazilian consumers’ perceived healthiness. To achieve this, four products were considered: chocolate flavored milk, granola, mate tea, and cookies. A total of 448 Brazilian consumers took part in an online survey. For each product category, a series of packages were designed considering the following 2-level factors: brand (familiar vs. unfamiliar), black magnifier warning label (presence vs. absence), visual claim (presence vs. absence) and textual claim (presence vs. absence). Participants were shown eight pairs of packages from two of four products and were asked to select the healthiest product in each pair. The data were analyzed using a mixed logit model with random parameters, and conjoint analysis was conducted to estimate the main effects, average coefficients, and standard errors. A significance level of 5 % was considered. For all product categories, the presence of the warnings reduced perceived healthiness of products. On the other hand, the presence of familiar brand and nutritional marketing claims had a greater effect on the perceived healthiness compared to black magnifier. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of warning labels, but the need to regulate claims for strengthening label policies in the Brazilian context.