Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Do empirical studies address the objectives of the nutrition labeling and education act: a review and synthesis relevant for marketing academicians

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Academic research presents an important information source that consumers, firms, and public policy makers use for decision making. This paper reviews and synthesizes the literature in marketing journals to examine whether empirical studies thoroughly addresses the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) objectives. Findings indicate that a large number of published studies fail to directly address the NLEA objectives. The remaining studies are discussed and organized in juxtaposition with the three objectives framing the legislation. Finally, the paper pinpoints the paucity of generalizable research with regard to the objectives of the NLEA while identifying fertile directions for future research.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alfieri L, Byrd-Bredbenner C (2000) Assessing the performance of women on nutrition labeling tasks. Am J Health Stud 16(3):113–123

    Google Scholar 

  • Balasubramanian SK, Cole C (2002) Consumers’ search and use of nutrition information: the challenge and promise of the nutrition labeling and education act. J Mark 66(3):112–128

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barone MJ, Rose RL, Manning KC, Miniard PW (1996) Another look at the impact of reference information on consumer impressions of nutrition information. J Public Policy Mark 15(1):55–62

    Google Scholar 

  • Burke SJ, Milberg SJ, Moe WW (1997) Displaying common but previously neglected health claims on product labels: understanding competitive advantages, deception, and education. J Public Policy Mark 16(2):242–255

    Google Scholar 

  • Burton S, Andrews JC (1996) Age, product nutrition, and label format effects on consumer perceptions and product evaluations. J Consum Aff 30(1):68–89

    Google Scholar 

  • Burton S, Biswas A (1993) Preliminary assessment of changes in labels required by the nutrition labeling and education act. J Consum Aff 27(1):127–135

    Google Scholar 

  • Burton S, Biswas A, Netemeyer R (1994) Effects of alternative nutrition label formats and nutrition reference information on consumer perceptions, comprehension, and product evaluations. J Public Policy Mark 13(1):36–47

    Google Scholar 

  • Burton S, Garretson JA, Velliquette AM (1999) Implications of accurate usage of nutrition facts panel information for food product evaluations and purchase intentions. J Acad Mark Sci 27(4):470–480

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Byrd-Bredbenner C, Grasso D (2001) The effects of food advertising policy on televised nutrient content claims and health claims. Fam Econ Nutr Rev 13(1):37–49

    Google Scholar 

  • Caswell JA, Ning Y, Liu F, Mojduszka EM (2003) The impact of new labeling regulations on the use of voluntary nutrient-content and health claims by food manufacturers. J Public Policy Mark 22(2):147–159

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chan C, Patch C, Williams P (2005) Australian consumers are sceptical about but influenced by claims about fat on food labels. Eur J Clin Nutr 59:148–151

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cotugna N, Vickery CE (1998) A food-label awareness and usage pattern survey. Am J Health Behav 22(1):3–7

    Google Scholar 

  • Ford GT, Hastak M, Mitra A, Ringold DJ (1996) Can consumers interpret nutrition information in the presence of a health claim? J Public Policy Mark 15(1):16–27

    Google Scholar 

  • Garretson JA, Burton S (2000) Effects of nutrition facts panel values, nutrition claims, and health claims on consumer attitudes, perceptions of disease-related risks, and trust. J Public Policy Mark 19(2):213–227

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ghani WI, Childs NM (1999) Wealth effects of the passage of the nutrition labeling and education act of 1990 for large U. S. multinational food corporations. J Public Policy Mark 18(2):147–158

    Google Scholar 

  • Hess S, Yanes M, Jourdan P, Edelstein S (2005) Trans fat knowledge is related to education level and nutrition facts label use in health-conscious adults. Top Clin Nutr 20(2):109–117

    Google Scholar 

  • Ippolito PM, Mathios AD (1993) New food labeling regulations and the flow of nutrition information to consumers. J Public Policy Mark 12(2):188–206

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones JR, Lineback DM, Levine MJ (2006) Dietary reference intakes: implications for fiber labeling and consumption: a summary of the International Life Sciences Institute North America Fiber Workshop, June 1–2, 2004, Washington, DC. Nutr Rev 64(1):31–38

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keller SB, Landry M, Olson J, Velliquette AM, Burton S, Andrews JC (1997) The effects of nutrition package claims, nutrition facts panels, and motivation to process nutrition information on consumer product evaluations. J Public Policy Mark 16(2):256–269

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim S, Nayga RM, Capps O (2001) Food label use, self-selectivity, and diet quality. J Consum Aff 35(2):346–363

    Google Scholar 

  • Kristal AR, Levy L, Patterson RE, Li S, White E (1998) Trends in food label use associated with new nutrition labeling regulations. Am J Public Health 88(8):1212–1215

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kozup J, Burton S, Creyer EH (2006) The provision of trans fat information and its interaction with consumer knowledge. J Consum Aff 40(1):163–176

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kurtzweil P (1994) Food labeling education serves many groups. FDA Consum 28(4):6–10

    Google Scholar 

  • Levy AS, Fein SB, Schucker RE (1996) Performance characteristics of seven nutrition label formats. J Public Policy Mark 15(1):1–15

    Google Scholar 

  • Li F, Miniard PW, Barone MJ (2000) The facilitating influence of consumer knowledge on the effectiveness of daily value reference information. J Acad Mark Sci 28(3):425–436

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mangleburg TF, Grewal D, Bristol T (1997) Socialization, gender, and adolescent’s self-reports of their generalized use of product labels. J Consum Aff 31(2):255–279

    Google Scholar 

  • Mathios AD (2000) The impact of mandatory disclosure laws on product choices: an analysis of the salad dressing market. J Law and Econ 43(2):651–678

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mazis MB, Raymond MA (1997) Consumer perceptions of health claims in advertisements and on food labels. J Consum Aff 31(1):10–26

    Google Scholar 

  • McArthur L, Grady FM, Rosenberg RI, Howard AB (2000) Knowledge of college students regarding three themes related to dietary recommendations. Am J Health Stud 16(4):177–184

    Google Scholar 

  • McCullum C, Achterberg CL (1997) Food shopping and label use behavior among high school-aged adolescents. Adolescence 32(125):181–197

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitra A, Hastak M, Ford GT, Ringold DJ (1999) Can the educationally disadvantaged interpret the FDA-mandated nutrition facts panel in the presence of an implied health claim? J Public Policy Mark 18(1):106–117

    Google Scholar 

  • Moorman C (1996) A quasi experiment to assess the consumer and informational determinants of nutrition information processing activities: the case of the nutrition labeling and education act. J Public Policy Mark 15(1):28–44

    Google Scholar 

  • Moorman C (1998) Market-level effects of information: competitive responses and consumer dynamics. J Mark Res 35(1):82–98

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moorman C, Du R, Mela CF (2005) The effect of standardized information on firm survival and marketing strategies. Mark Sci 24(2):263–274

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nayga RM (2000) Nutrition knowledge, gender, and food label use. J Consum Aff 34(1):97–112

    Google Scholar 

  • Nayga RM (2001–2002) Looking for the nutrition label: does it make a difference? Choices Mag Food Farm Resour (Winter):39–42

  • Nayga RM, Lipinkski D, Savur N (1998) Consumers’ use of nutritional labels while food shopping and at home. J Consum Aff 32(1):106–120

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (1990) Public Law 101–535, 21 USC 301

  • Obayashi S, Bianchi LJ, Song WO (2003) Reliability and validity of nutrition knowledge, social-psychological factors, and food label use scales from the 1995 diet and health knowledge survey. J Nutr Educ Behav 35(2):83–92

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petruccelli PJ (1996) Consumer and marketing implications of information provision: the case of the nutrition labeling and education act of 1990. J Public Policy Mark 15(1):150–153

    Google Scholar 

  • Rayner M, Boaz A, Higginson C (2001) Consumer use of health-related endorsements on food labels in the United Kingdom and Australia. J Nutr Educ 33(1):24–30

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roe B, Levy AS, Derby B (1999) The impact of health claims on consumer search and product evaluation outcomes: results from FDA experimental data. J Public Policy Mark 18(1):89–105

    Google Scholar 

  • Silverglade BA, Hill RP (1996) The nutrition labeling and education act—progress to date and challenges for the future. J Public Policy Mark 15(1):148–151

    Google Scholar 

  • Szykman LR, Bloom PN, Levy AS (1997) A proposed model of the use of package claims and nutrition labels. J Public Policy Mark 16(2):228–241

    Google Scholar 

  • Teisl M, Bockstael NE, Levy A (2001) Measuring the welfare effects of nutrition information. Am J Agric Econ 83(1):133–149

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson PB (1996) Food labels and the ethics of consent. Choices Mag Food, Farm Resour 11(1):11–13

    Google Scholar 

  • Tussing L, Chapman-Novakofski K (2004) Doing the math for calcium! See it, do it, teach it!. J Nutr Educ Behav 36:99–100

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ulbricht G (2002) Nutritional information and consumer behaviour—their relationship to nutritional balance. A study conducted in Berlin. Food Serv Tech 2:5–11

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Viswanathan M (1994) The influence of summary information on the usage of nutrition information. J Public Policy Mark 13(1):48–60

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang G, Fletcher SM, Carley DH (1995) Consumer utilization of food labeling as a source of nutrition information. J Consum Aff 29(2):368–318

    Google Scholar 

  • Wansink B (2003) How do front and back package labels influence beliefs about health claims? J Consum Aff 37(2):305–316

    Google Scholar 

  • Wansink B, Cheney MM (2005) Leveraging FDA health claims. J Consum Aff 39(2):386–398

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams P (2005) Consumer understanding and use of health claims for foods. Nutr Rev 63(7):256–264

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank Ms. Rebecca Clark and Ms. Nancy Baumgarten for their assistance on this project.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA

    George M. Zinkhan & Candice Hollenbeck

  2. Winthrop University, 427 Thurmond Hall, Rock Hill, SC, 29733, USA

    Cara Peters

Authors
  1. George M. Zinkhan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Cara Peters
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Candice Hollenbeck
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cara Peters.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zinkhan, G.M., Peters, C. & Hollenbeck, C. Do empirical studies address the objectives of the nutrition labeling and education act: a review and synthesis relevant for marketing academicians. Int Rev Public Nonprofit Mark 5, 89–116 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12208-008-0011-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12208-008-0011-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation