Seals, country-of-origin and GDA nutrition labelling : using the elaboration likelihood model to investigate food product perceptions.

Abstract

Nutrition or ‘signpost’ labelling provides information to consumers to assist them in making healthier food choices. While many components of product packaging can influence consumers’ product evaluation, front-of-pack (FOP) nutrition labelling and country-of-origin (COO) labels are two categories of cues that have been identified as strong influencers of consumer evaluations. However, studies have shown that oversimplified FOP nutritional seals may cause consumers to incorrectly assume that it is healthier in general compared to other products. Using the Elaboration Likelihood Model as a theoretical framework, Study One (n=127) assessed whether simple FOP nutrition labels would lead consumers to using the peripheral route in the judgement of food products. Study Two (n=97) examined if more complex FOP nutrition labels such as Guideline Daily Amounts (GDA) labelling would encourage consumers to use the central route instead. The research results suggest that nutritional seals and COO labels tend to encourage peripheral processing, influencing perceived healthfulness and purchase intent, with differential effects on different categories of food products. The presence of GDA labelling encourages central processing, leading to higher knowledge of nutrition content. In addition, an interaction effect found between the presence of nutritional seals and COO labels shows that when a recognised nutritional seal is paired with a COO with low perceived risk, consumers appeared to make less informed food purchase. Implications for policy and health communication are discussed.