A five-country study of front- and back-of-package nutrition label awareness and use: patterns and correlates from the 2018 International Food Policy Study

How psychological ownership over nutritional products affects purchase intentions of high-pressure working groups

This study aims to investigate the influence of psychological ownership of nutritional products on the purchase intention of high-pressure working groups, as well as the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions of this influence. This study aims to investigate the impact of psychological ownership of nutritional products on the purchase intention of high-pressure working groups, as well as the underlying mechanisms and boundary conditions of this influence. The research contributes through the use of variance analysis, mediation models, and moderation models on data from adult participants over the age of 18, across three experiments. Experiment 1, conducted on the Credamo platform, randomly recruited 285 participants, with 148 males (51.9%) and 137 females (48.1%), and the results indicated a direct impact of psychological ownership on purchase intention. Building upon this, Experiment 2, which also utilized the Credamo platform and recruited 280 participants consisting of 136 males (48.6%) and 144 females (51.4%), further revealed the mediating role of perceived value. Experiment 3, with 265 participants randomly recruited on the Credamo platform, including 131 males (49.4%) and 134 females (50.6%), identified the moderating effect of nutritional awareness. The theoretical contribution of this study lies primarily in its in-depth exploration of the impact of psychological ownership of nutritional products. By integrating the factors of perceived value and nutritional awareness, it provides a systematic explanation for better understanding the purchase intentions of high-pressure working groups. Additionally, this study offers valuable strategies for merchants to enhance the purchase intentions of high-pressure living groups.

Assessing transnational spillover effects of Mexico's front-of-package nutritional labeling system among Mexican Americans in the US

OBJECTIVE

In 2020, Mexico implemented innovative front-of-package nutrition warning labels (FoPWLs) for packaged foods to increase the salience and understanding of nutrition information. This study evaluated Mexican Americans' self-reported exposure to Mexican FoPWLs and self-reported effects of FoPWLs on purchasing behavior.

METHODS

The 2021 International Food Policy Study surveyed online panels of adult Mexican Americans in the US (n = 3361) to self-report on buying food at Mexican-oriented stores, noticing Mexican FoPWLs, and being influenced by FoPWLs to purchase less of eight different unhealthy foods (each assessed separately). After recoding the frequency of buying foods in Mexican stores and noticing FoPWLs (i.e., "often" or "very often" vs. less often), logistic models regressed these outcomes on sociodemographics, adjusting for post-stratification weights.

RESULTS

Most participants (88.0%) purchased foods in Mexican stores. Of these, 64.1% reported noticing FoPWLs, among whom many reported that FoPWLs influenced them to buy fewer unhealthy foods (range = 32% [snacks like chips] - 44% [colas]). Participants were more likely to buy foods in Mexican stores and notice FoPWLs if they were younger, had ≥two children at home vs no children (AOR = 1.40, 95%CI = 1.15-1.71; AOR = 1.37, 95%CI = 1.03-1.80, respectively), and more frequently used Spanish (AOR = 1.91, 95%CI = 1.77-2.07; AOR = 1.87, 95%CI = 1.69-2.07). Also, high vs. low education (AOR = 1.51, 95%CI = 1.17-1.94) and higher income adequacy (AOR = 1.37, 95%CI = 1.25-1.51) were positively associated with noticing FoPWLs. Being female and more frequent Spanish use were consistently associated with reporting purchase of fewer unhealthy foods because of FoPWLs.

CONCLUSIONS

Many Mexican Americans report both exposure to Mexican FOPWLs and reducing purchases of unhealthy foods because of them.