{"id":10067,"date":"2022-09-02T11:43:03","date_gmt":"2022-09-02T15:43:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.globalfoodresearchprogram.org\/?p=10067"},"modified":"2025-03-18T08:44:04","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T12:44:04","slug":"nutrient-warning-labels-work-in-south-africa-results-from-a-randomized-controlled-trial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.globalfoodresearchprogram.org\/nutrient-warning-labels-work-in-south-africa-results-from-a-randomized-controlled-trial\/","title":{"rendered":"Nutrient warning labels work in South Africa: Results from a randomized controlled trial"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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From top: Nutrient warning, multiple traffic light, and Guideline Daily Amounts<\/em> labels<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

A new study from South Africa comparing three different front-of-package (FOP) labeling schemes found that a nutrient warning label helped more participants correctly identify unhealthy products and more strongly reduced their intention to purchase those products, compared to a \u201cmultiple traffic light\u201d label and a Guideline Daily Amounts label.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These findings, published in Appetite<\/em><\/a>, come at an important time as South African policymakers consider draft regulation for the country\u2019s first mandatory front-of-package label. While research from other countries has found that nutrient warning labels are the stronger FOP label option for identifying and discouraging consumption of unhealthy foods, some studies find that other labels, such as the traffic light, can also be effective. This suggests that context plays an important role and underscores the importance of testing a label designed specifically for South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Makoma\u201cIt was important to create a warning label for South Africa that can help people from different language backgrounds and literacy levels make informed decisions on what to buy and eat,\u201d said Makoma Bopape (left<\/em>), first author and Senior Lecturer in Human Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Limpopo. \u201cWe achieved this using a triangle shape and exclamation mark that are associated with \u2018warning\u2019 in South Africa and by including icons for each nutrient, for example a saltshaker for sodium.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a randomized controlled trial, researchers from the University Limpopo, the University of the Western Cape, the University of Antwerp, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill compared how well the different label types helped South African consumers:<\/p>\n\n\n

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Example experimental products viewed by participants in the warning label condition<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n