Sugar labelling on food packaging has little impact on consumers’ purchasing behaviour, a study led by Deakin University has found. The research also revealed a high level of support from consumers for updated policies.
The peer-reviewed, randomised, and controlled trial asked Australian parents to choose between grocery items such as cereals and yoghurts.
Respondents were grouped and shown one of seven different ‘added sugar’ labelling formats, such as listing sugar in the ingredients, a ‘warning’ label, or a ‘teaspoons of sugar’ calculation.
The study found no consistent impact of any of the added sugar labels on the intended purchases of selected high sugar, packaged non-alcoholic beverages, breakfast cereals, and yoghurts.
Deakin University GLOBE research fellow Dr Miranda Blake said current labels do not help consumers in selecting foods with less added sugar.
The current Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) Code requires a product’s nutrition information panel (NIP) to include the total amount of sugars in the product.
Total sugars include sugar that is naturally present in the food and sugar that has been added as an ingredient. The code also contains requirements for foods that make claims about sugar. For example, foods that claim to be ‘low sugar’ cannot contain more than 2.5 g of sugar per 100 mL of liquid food, or 5g per 100g of solid food.
Blake told Food & Drink Business, “Packaged foods are a key source of added sugar in Australians’ diets, with over half of Australians consuming levels of added sugar that are harmful to health, including dental health.”
While the trial found seven distinct types of sugar labelling made no impact on consumers purchasing behaviour, it did reveal significant support for the introduction of added sugar labelling.
Respondents said governments would be unlikely to face consumer opposition if added sugar labelling was introduced as part of an integrated suite of complementary food policies.
“Nearly 85 per cent of consumers agreed with the statement, ‘we need to set higher standards for how the food industry labels the food we eat’,” Blake said.
The Deakin research has been published as FSANZ is completing its administrative assessment and targeted consultations for Proposal P1058 – which considers the inclusion of added sugars information in a product’s NIP.
FSANZ started work on P1058 in April, following its review of nutrition labelling for added sugars, completed in 2021. The review concluded no changes needed to be made to labels for several reasons including an existing level of consumer confusion on NIP information. Despite the recommendation, the administrative assessment was launched, leaving the proposal open for discussion.
Blake said: “Our findings suggest that public education campaigns are needed, targeting key population groups, including those with low literacy and numeracy, to ensure the success of these labelling measures to support consumers’ health and wellbeing.
“This should form part of a suite of policy measures to ensure the success of added sugar labelling.”
Following the targeted consultations, FSANZ will call for public comment from mid-December.
