A qualitative study of New Zealand parents' views on front-of-pack nutrition labels

Aim: As well as providing mandatory nutrition information, some Australian and New Zealand food manufacturers insert additional nutrient details on the front of product packages. However, the format and content of this optional information has been questioned, as have its effects on consumers. This research explored parents' reactions to industry-led labels and formats proposed by health advocates. Methods: The qualitative study used semi-structured depth interviews to examine 15 parents' views of four different front-of-pack nutrition labels (including 'Percentage Daily Intake' and 'Traffic Light' formats). An iterative thematic analysis was used to identify themes in the data. Results: Key themes included the volume of information, the ease of interpreting this and the ability and time required to assimilate it into decisions. Strengths and weaknesses were identified for all labels; however, participants preferred information they could process easily and quickly. Simplified, graphic information formats appear more likely to inform consumers' food choices than labels dominated by numeric information. Conclusions: Because parents are often distracted when purchasing food they may not read on-pack nutrition information, especially if this is difficult to comprehend. Participants' responses suggest policy-makers should explore several front-of-pack labels, particularly those that use visual heuristics such as Traffic Light labels.