(P35-02-26) Front-of-Package Marketing Design Surrounding Regulated Front-of-Package Nutrition Labels: A Large-Scale Content Analysis

Objectives: Front-of-package labels (FOPL) are widely used to support healthier food choices. In Israel, government policy requires red warning labels on products high in sugar, sodium, or saturated fat alongside voluntary green labels for healthy foods. However, FOPL function in the context of visually complex packaging. Several studies examined consumer attention to FOPL without fully considering this context. We systematically characterized visual elements surrounding Israeli mandatory red warning and voluntary green FOPL to identify design strategies that may distract from or mimic official FOPLs and reduce their effectiveness

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional content analysis of front-of-package designs for 4,475 pre-packaged foods and beverages carrying an official FOPL (93% red, 7% green), identified via data scraping from online catalogs of two major supermarkets. We used an image-based coding protocol to capture all front-of-package elements, including nutrition-related claims, non-nutrition claims, imagery, color, proximity to the FOPL, and visual mimicry. 

Results: Official FOPLs rarely appear alone: 95% of labeled products display additional front-of-package elements, with a mean of 5.06 elements per product. Nutrition-related claims are present on 56.6% of products and are more prevalent on green-labeled items, whereas non-nutrition claims appear on 72.7% of products and are particularly common on red-labeled products. Green color cues are frequently used across both label types, with green backgrounds more common among green-labeled products (26%) than red-labeled ones (17%). Overall, 40.8% of products display round claims; 70% of these incorporate design features resembling the FOPL, and 27% combine a circular border, surrounding text, and a central icon, often near the FOPL.

Conclusions: FOPL operate within dense marketing environments characterized by extensive claims and label-like design elements. These elements may compete with, mimic, and potentially reduce the salience and interpretability of official warning and endorsement labels. Considering the broader packaging context, rather than label design alone, may be important for evaluating FOPL policies.

Funding Sources: Supported by a subcontract from the Global Food Research Program at UNC Chapel Hill, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies.