The relative effect of warning labels, claims, and brand on the food choices of consumers over 60 years of age living in Brazil

Nutrition plays a crucial role in maintaining health and quality of life in old age. Therefore, strategies aimed at improving diet quality are highly relevant. The objective of this work was to evaluate the relative effect of front-of-package warning labels on the food choices of consumers over 60 years of age living in Brazil. A total of 1125 participants over 60 years old were recruited using an Instagram advertisement. They were randomly allocated to four experimental groups, defined considering two 2-level variables: type of warning label (black magnifier vs. black octagon) and information about warning labels (with information vs. no information). Participants in each of the four groups completed a choice-conjoint task involving pairs of product categories (cream cheese, juice, toasts, and yogurt) differing in four variables: commercial “Brand” (familiar vs. unfamiliar), “Nutrition claims” (present vs. absent), “Sensory claims” (present vs. absent) and “Warning label” (present vs. absent). Data were analyzed using mixed logit models. Results revealed a significant effect of type of warning label in some categories, with the magnifier being more effective than the octagon in discouraging unhealthy food choices. However, “Brand” was the most relevant variable and, in some categories, “Nutrition claims” outweighed the effect of “Warning labels”. Exposure to information about the warnings prior to the choice-task reduced the importance of the “Brand” and tended to increase the effect of the “Warnings labels” and “Nutrition claims”. These results highlight the need to implement strategies to promote the use of warnings among older consumers.