Abstract
Objective
Increased consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages has contributed to rising obesity levels. Under Canadian law, calories for prepackaged foods and beverages are presented by serving size; however, serving sizes differ across products and even for the same product in different containers. This study examined consumer understanding of calorie amounts for government nutrition labels and industry labelling schemes.
Methods
A national sample of 687 Canadian adults completed an online survey. Participants were randomized to view images of Coke® bottles that displayed different serving sizes and calorie amounts. Participants viewed either the regulated nutrition information on the “back” of containers, or the voluntary calorie symbols displayed on the “front” of Coke® products. Participants were asked to determine how many calories the bottle contained.
Results
Across all conditions, 54.2% of participants correctly identified the number of calories in the beverage. Participants who viewed governmentmandated nutrition information were more likely to answer correctly (59.0%) than those who saw industry labelling (49.1%) (OR=5.3, 95% CI: 2.6–10.6). Only 11.8% who viewed the Coke® bottle with calorie amounts per serving correctly identified the calorie amount, compared to 91.8% who saw calorie amounts per container, regardless of whether information was presented in the Nutrition Facts Table or the front-of-pack symbol (OR=242.9, 95% CI: 112.1–526.2).
Conclusions
Few individuals can use nutrition labels to correctly identify calorie content when presented per serving or using industry labelling schemes. The findings highlight the importance of revising labelling standards and indicate that industry labelling initiatives warrant greater scrutiny.
Résumé
Objectif
La hausse de la consommation des boissons édulcorées au sucre contribue à l’augmentation des niveaux d’obésité. En vertu de la loi canadienne, le nombre de calories dans les aliments et les boissons préemballés est indiqué par portion, mais les portions diffèrent d’un produit à l’autre, et même pour des produits identiques conditionnés dans des emballages différents. Nous avons examiné la compréhension par les consommateurs du nombre de calories sur les étiquettes nutritionnelles du gouvernement et sur celles de l’industrie.
Méthode
Un échantillon national de 687 Canadiennes et Canadiens adultes a répondu à un sondage en ligne. Des participants sélectionnés au hasard ont visionné des images de bouteilles de Coke® affichant des portions et un nombre de calories différents. Les participants ont vu soit l’information nutritionnelle réglementée au « dos » du contenant, soit les symboles de calories affichés sur le « devant » du produit Coke®. Nous avons demandé aux participants de calculer combien de calories contenait la bouteille.
Résultats
Globalement, 54,2 % des participants ont correctement calculé le nombre de calories dans la boisson. Ceux qui ont visionné l’information nutritionnelle exigée par le gouvernement étaient plus susceptibles de répondre correctement (59 %) que ceux qui ont vu l’étiquetage de l’industrie (49,1 %) (RC=5,3, IC de 95 %: 2,6–10,6). Seulement 11,8 % des participants ayant vu la bouteille de Coke® indiquant le nombre de calories par portion ont correctement calculé les calories, contre 91,8 % des participants ayant vu la bouteille indiquant le nombre de calories par contenant, peu importe si l’information était présentée dans le tableau « Valeur nutritive » ou dans le symbole sur le devant de l’emballage (RC=242,9, IC de 95 %: 112,1–526,2).
Conclusion
Peu de gens savent se servir des étiquettes nutritionnelles pour calculer correctement le nombre de calories lorsque l’information leur est présentée par portion ou sur les étiquettes créées par l’industrie. Il est donc important de réviser les normes d’étiquetage, et les initiatives d’étiquetage de l’industrie mériteraient un examen approfondi.
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Vanderlee, L., Goodman, S., Yang, W.S. et al. Consumer Understanding of Calorie Amounts and Serving Size: Implications for Nutritional Labelling. Can J Public Health 103, e327–e331 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03404435
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03404435