According to the Health department, manufacturers who create the food packaging may not be the same as the nutritional benefits an item contains. Though, people are still engrossed in purchasing products according to what is mentioned, as researchers observed.
The nutrients and ingredients which are on the packaging of a product aim to provide customers with how they desire their food to be as. A consumer may look at the product’s protein, calories, carbohydrate, vitamin or even mineral content. These all nutrients, allergens and other ingredients are combined to show us a product’s content.
Anyhow, manufacturers are able to change the customer’s thoughts to different directions. Many individuals purchase on the basis of knowledge provided about the product and surprisingly, these claims are not every time related with the product’s real nutritious status.
This reality brought four studies which was merged into a single paper by the researchers and published in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing. They had observed the information which was written on the front of the packaging of products and evaluated the contrasts of the claims made and the products actual nutrition’s.
They also observed how customers responded to these proofs when they were buying the product. They were trying to see if the claims made were real and if it had an impact on the customer’s buying choice, in spite of their authenticity.
How does labeling impact consumer’s mind?
The researchers investigated front of package (FOP) claims which were seen on various breakfast cereals and milk products. One finding, studied 633 different breakfast cereals, from which 460 displayed a health or nutrition claim on the front packaging.
The studies were performed using questionnaires along with attention checks to show how each of them would result in a different FOP claim. They then assessed how different claims influenced consumer attitude.
“We found that consumers had a more positive attitude toward claims that are based on the presence of something good, compared to claims that are about the absence of something bad”, Study co-author Prof. Pierre Chandon, INSEAD.
People noticed that when positive ingredients were existing, these products were more healthy others who eliminated recognized negatives. People also realized that this type of claim helped in anticipating the products health factor, taste and dieting quality though these claims didn’t promise to make an individual fit or even lose weight.
There was not such a link between positive claims and nutritional content of the breakfast cereals. Prof. Chandon mentions that the actual correlation was almost zero.
FOP declarations don’t reflect the truth
This finding was on the health claims from a marketing perspective; we can make some health-related observations from the information.
It was found that FOP agrees that the products ingredients do not reflect the relation to health or weight loss.
As an alternative, it is better to observe the nutrition label to see a better image of how a food item can provide in helping someone to lose weight, maintain your fit figure or overall have a healthy lifestyle.