Label to Table: New Insights into Supermarket Food Labeling

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7. Project Abstract Summary Label to Table: New Insights into Supermarket Food Labeling is a comprehensive, real-world evaluation of nutrition labeling policies and programs that impact all Americans who purchase food. Nutrition labeling provides information on food and beverage nutrients and healthfulness and is intended to help individuals compare products and make healthier dietary choices. The study will use supermarket transaction data, an experiment in a naturalistic online supermarket, and surveys of shoppers’ experiences while shopping in supermarkets to determine whether and how these labeling programs improve the nutritional quality of purchases. We will evaluate two nutrition labels: 1) the Nutrition Facts Label, a nutrient-based label mandated for all packaged goods sold in the US, that was updated in 2016 and required to be implemented by 2021, and 2) Guiding Stars, a shelf-tag labeling system identifying healthy foods with 1 to 3 stars that is used in nearly 2000 US supermarkets and was revised in 2021. In the first two Aims of the project, we will use comprehensive transaction data linked to nutritional information from a supermarket chain located in five Northeastern US states with nearly 12 million transactions monthly. These data, available from 2016 to 2023, will allow us to evaluate the implementation of the new Nutrition Facts Label and updates to the Guiding Stars labeling system. In Aim 3, we will explore an expansion of Guiding Stars to include labels of both healthier and unhealthier foods and beverages in a virtual supermarket study of 3100 individuals, followed by an evaluation of these expanded labels in two actual supermarkets. In Aim 4, we will enroll 3000 shoppers who participate in a national consumer panel and use novel technologies to track when they have shopped and survey them about their use of labels while shopping for different products. Having real- time data will allow us to investigate whether use of labels is associated with healthier choices and if this relationship differs by the race, ethnicity, education, and household income of shoppers. We also will conduct detailed interviews with 30 of these shoppers to learn more about their experiences shopping and using labels, with a focus on social and cultural factors that influence supermarket purchases and use of labels. This study will be one of the first to use real-world data to investigate these labels and will use innovative methods and technologies. Because of the expansive nature of this evaluation, we expect that results will help inform policymakers, retailers, and manufacturers regarding how labels can improve the diet quality of Americans.