The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) published a report on Friday 9 September which is intended to contribute to the review of food labelling rules under the EU’s ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy.
It sets out the results of a literature review on the sources of food information available on the market, other than packaging labels, and the way in which consumers use, understand and are influenced by these sources.
According to the report, consumers generally appreciate nutrition labels on the front of packets as a quick and easy way to obtain nutritional information when making a purchase. On the whole, they prefer and check information on simple and colourful labels.
Market analysis shows that the alcoholic beverage industry has voluntarily adopted the option of providing ingredient and nutritional information on labels.
The report highlights the fact that there are disparities in terms of the frequency and content of the information between sectors and countries.
It also indicates that food information provided by means other than labelling – for example through shelf labels and point-of-sale displays – can be effective in encouraging consumers to adopt healthy dietary behaviours compared to online methods that require external tools.
In addition, country of origin and information on provenance have a major influence on consumers’ food choices, according to JRC research findings.
See the JRC report: https://aeur.eu/f/30l (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)