The effects of front-of-pack labelling in
the form of exercise labels on consumer
behaviour
Content
Introduction (Problem statement + Research questions)
Conceptual model
Methodology
Results
Managerial Implications
Limitations and Recommendations
Introduction (problem statement)
The growing obesity epidemic has crippled the health system prompting health organizations
and policymaker to take action and seek better ways of informing the consumer about their
energy intake (Overweight and obesity – BMI statistics, 2018; Health, 2013).
Although the solution of nutritional and caloric labels presents itself a promising tool in
preventing obesity, it those have a series of serious limitations (Roberto, Agnew and Brownell,
2009; Kiszko, Martinez, Abrams and Elbel, 2014).
In tackling these limitations new methods of intervention were brought forth with
Introduction (Research Questions)
1. Do exercises labels effect the purchasing behavior of the
consumers and to what degree does the type of food which bears
the label influence this effect?
Conceptual Model
Label condition
(two conditions)
1. Regular caloric
label condition
(control condition)
2. Exercise label
condition
Type of food: Healthy vs
Junk food
Methodology
2 by 2 mixed design
Variable
Decription
Label Condition (IV)
(1) Normal Caloric Label
(2) Exercise Label
Type of food (moderator)
(1) Healthy Food
(2) Junk Food
Caloric Consumption (DV)
measures the enegy intake
Attitude towards Running (DV)
shows how the sport is perceived
Future Spoting Intention
Shows the desire to sport in the
Sample Characteristics
Variable
Possible answer
Mean (range)
Sample (%)
Gender
Male
43(27, 6)
Female
113(72, 4)
Age
Years
27(15-60)
Consumption
Calorie
2630
Consumption (Vice)
Calorie
1960
Consumption(Virtue)
Calorie
725
Attitude towards
running
5
Future sporting
Results (1)
Hypothesis
Content
Supported (Yes/No)
H1
Presenting the front-of-pack exercise label (as opposed to the regular
caloric label) will lead to a reduction in calorie consumption.
Yes
The understandable and easy format of the label helps consumers make healthier choices.
Using calorie labels to contextualize food choices is difficult for consumers (Swartz et al., 2013)
Results (2)
Hypothesis
Content
Supported (Yes/No)
H2
Presenting the front-of-pack exercise label (as opposed to the
regular caloric label) will lead to a greater (smaller) reduction in
calorie consumption in the case of vice foods (virtue foods).
No
The way each type of food is perceived by consumers could have influenced their shopping
behaviour (Chandon and Wansink, 2007; Finkelstein an Fishback, 2010). The previous findings
Results (3)
Hypothesis
Content
Supported (Yes/No)
H3
Presenting the front-of-pack exercise label (as opposed to the regular
caloric label) will lead to a negative attitude towards running.
No
H4
Presenting he front-of-pack exercise label (as opposed to the regular
caloric label) will lead to a higher sporting intention.
No
Perceiving the exercise label as a recommendation (Fitch, 2009) or as a scare tactic could be the
main reason why he consumers’ sporting intentions and attitude towards sporting was not affected
Managerial Implication
Policymakers should consider rolling out the exercise labels as they are indeed effective in
steering consumers towards healthy options
Implementing the new front-of-pack labels could lead to increase profits as consumer require
Limitations and Recommendations
Limitations
Future research
Online survey
Real-life experiment
Limited assortment
No opting out choice
References
• Bleich, S. N., Herring, B. J., Flagg, D. D., & Gary-Webb, T. L. (2012). Reduction in Purchases of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Among Low-Income Black Adolescents After Exposure to Caloric Information. American Journal of Public Health,102(2), 329-335. doi:10.2105/ajph.2011.300350
•Chandon, P. and Wansink, B. (2007), “Is obesity caused by calorie underestimation? A psychophycal model of meal size estimation”, Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 44 No. 1, pp 84-99
• Dowray, S., Swartz, J. J., Braxton, D., & Viera, A. J. (2013). Potential effect of physical activity based menu labels on the calorie content of selected fast food meals. Appetite,62, 173-181. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2012.11.013
•Finkelstein, S. R., & Fishbach, A. (2008). When Healthy Food Makes You Hungry. PsycEXTRA Dataset. doi:10.1037/e722352011-097
•Fitch, R. C., Harnack, L. J., Neumark-Sztainer, D. R., Story, M. T., French, S. A., Oakes, J. M., & Rydell, S. A. (2009). Providing Calorie Information on Fast-Food Restaurant Menu Boards: Consumer Views. American Journal of Health Promotion,24(2), 129-132. doi:10.4278/ajhp.08031426
• Health, D. (2013). In D. o Health (Ed.), Public health responsibility deal: F1. Out of home energy (kJ/Kcal) labelling
• Kiszko, K. M., Martinez, O. D., Abrams, C., & Elbel, B. (2014). The Influence of Calorie Labeling on Food Orders and Consumption: A Review of the Literature. Journal of Community Health,39(6), 1248-1269. doi:10.1007/s10900-014-9876-0
• Masic, U., Christiansen, P., & Boyland, E. (2017). The influence of calorie and physical activity labelling on snack and beverage choices. Appetite,112, 52-58. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2017.01.007
•Overweight and obesity - BMI statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved September 17, 2018, from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Overweight_and_obesity_-_BMI_statistics
•Roberto, C. A., Agnew, H., & Brownell, K. D. (2009). An Observational Study of Consumers’ Accessing of Nutrition Information in Chain Restaurants. American Journal of Public Health,99(5), 820-821. doi:10.2105/ajph.2008.136457
