When etiquetas nutricionales are faced with rows of products on a store shelf or e-commerce platform, labels often serve as the first point of engagement. Their design, information and quality all play a role in grabbing consumer attention and influencing buying choices.

Food labels, tabla nutricional de alimentos as those describing chicken raised without antibiotics or using organic farming practices or canned tuna labeled with the Marine Stewardship Council’s eco-label, can inform consumers about product attributes that may be difficult to verify. These attributes, such as animal-raising practices and sustainability claims, can influence consumers’ willingness to pay for a product.

How Labels Affect Buying Choices

A variety of food labeling initiatives have emerged to promote healthier products and educate consumers about healthy eating. Many of these are aimed at reducing the amount of sodium and artificial trans fat in foods; however, fewer efforts have focused on other dietary targets or disease risk factors.

The evidence on the effects of food labeling is mixed. Some studies show that standardized provision of nutritional or health information reduces consumer purchase and order behaviors; for example, calorie-labeling in restaurants reduced consumption of high-calorie items by about 6.6 percent. However, most of these studies evaluated only a single meal and it’s not clear how much these reductions translate to a weekly, monthly, or annual pattern and ultimately into health outcomes.

Future research should focus on whether labeling can encourage more nutrient-dense choices and improve health outcomes. This research should include an evaluation of the effect of front-of-pack labels and other types of labeling, and explore the potential for digital or mobile technologies to enhance transparency and authenticity.

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