Nutrition Information in the Supermarket

It is concluded that effort-reducing displays are a successful technique for increasing information use, especially for the more highly valued negative nutrients.

Abstract

Lists of nutrition information posted in supermarkets were designed to reduce the information-processing costs of comparing alternative foods. In Experiment 1, lists of vitamins and minerals increased nutrition knowledge but had no influence on actual purchases. In Experiment 2, a list of added sugar—a negative component of food—increased the market share of low-sugar breakfast cereals at the expense of high-sugar brands. We conclude that effort-reducing displays are a successful technique for increasing information use, especially for the more highly valued negative nutrients.