title: Assessing attentional prioritization of front-of-pack nutrition labels using change detection.
abstract: We used a change detection method to evaluate attentional prioritization of nutrition information that appears in the traditional "Nutrition Facts Panel" and in front-of-pack nutrition labels. Results provide compelling evidence that front-of-pack labels attract attention more readily than the Nutrition Facts Panel, even when participants are not specifically tasked with searching for nutrition information. Further, color-coding the relative nutritional value of key nutrients within the front-of-pack label resulted in increased attentional prioritization of nutrition information, but coding using facial icons did not significantly increase attention to the label. Finally, the general pattern of attentional prioritization across front-of-pack designs was consistent across a diverse sample of participants. Our results indicate that color-coded, front-of-pack nutrition labels increase attention to the nutrition information of packaged food, a finding that has implications for current policy discussions regarding labeling change.
authors: Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA. Electronic address: becker54@msu.edu.
authors: Mark W
authors: MW
authors: Becker
authors: Department of Packaging, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
authors: Raghav Prashant
authors: RP
authors: Sundar
authors: Department of Statistics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA.
authors: Nora
authors: N
authors: Bello
authors: Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
authors: Reem
authors: R
authors: Alzahabi
authors: Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
authors: Lorraine
authors: L
authors: Weatherspoon
authors: Department of Packaging, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
authors: Laura
authors: L
authors: Bix
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001288:Attention; D003116:Color; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D005260:Female; D005515:Food Labeling / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Attention; Attentional allocation; Change detection; Color-coding; Front-of-pack labels; Information search; Nutritional labeling