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Pleasure or health: revealing data on what people choose when they buy food with the black seal

2023-03-08T10:01:11.094Z


One year after the regulation of front labeling, a survey analyzes the behavior of consumers. And it shows that there is a lack of food education.


Companies had almost a year to adapt to the Law on Frontal Food Labeling.

It was regulated on March 23, 2022 and meant the appearance on the packages of the 

black seals

that warn about "Excess in sugars"; "Excess in sodium";

“Excess in saturated fat, “Excess in calories” and “Excess in total fat”.

The extensions to "dress" the faces of the containers in this way (also with the legends "Contains sweeteners, not recommended in children" or "contains caffeine, avoid in children") came to an end on February 16 for most of the manufacturers in the industry and now comes a key question:

what is the effect of the law on the buying attitude?

Is the maximum objective being met, which was to redirect consumption from the gondolas towards

healthier products

?

While it remains to see the black octagons in all the products that should have them -SMEs have 6 more months to adapt- and from the Ministry of Health of the Nation, the application authority, they tell Clarín that only "in August there will be

a

detailed

analysis "

, from the private sector there are already some approximations on the side of those who buy.

Based on 1,000 interviews conducted with Argentine consumers between February 14 and 17, a study by the consulting firm specialized in consumer and retail ShopApp provides

not very encouraging data

.

Among unhealthy food consumers,

the effect of the law is less

:

they choose the same as if the stamps did not exist.

These food categories have audiences that pay

more attention to indulgence than health

.

Meanwhile, those who consume products with a high perception of being healthy are

less likely to continue buying "regardless of the labels"

and are more oriented to look for brands that meet the expectation of healthyness, as they have fewer warnings of excesses.

"I am quite confused about the subject of jellies. In the supermarket I look for one without sugar and I find that none of them says 'Without sugar' and the one I bought says: 'Excess sodium' and that it contains sweeteners. Before it was clearer to

me which one to choose

," a 43-year-old consumer from Villa Crespo

tells

Clarín who is meticulous in her healthy purchases.

The same goes for sodas.

"I look for a light one and now the bottles do not say 'No sugar'. I read on the side, very small, that it says 0% calories and there I am calm that I am taking the correct one. What matters to me is the sugar, not sodium. I have two teenage daughters and I want to

reduce the sugar levels in their diet as much as possible

, "he details.

Sodas changed their labeling, both light and "regular."

Photo: Andrés D'Elia

Another more mature porteña, from Montserrat, says that she was not confused a few days ago when she bought "a yogurt that said 'no black stamps'."

But it's not easy for her to find a drink without sugar either. 

Alejandra, 45, says that for her "

french fries are like cigarettes for smokers"

because "like cigarette butts, which have horrible warning messages and photos, they are bought just the same."

She doesn't smoke, but she does continue to eat the potatoes from the bag. 

To Victoria, from Haedo, stamps

don't have an impact when buying cookies either

.

"You can clearly see that it says 'Excess sugar'. If before I took a package and returned it to the shelf for the price, now I return it for the stamp it has. But if it's the black cookies, the ones you're specifically looking for... .

you wear them the same

".

Between the seal and the taste

Among those who consume salty snacks, even though 64% know they are "not healthy at all", 36% said they would "keep buying the usual brand, regardless of whether it has stamps".

This compared to 23% who would look for a container with fewer black octagons.

The same goes for sodas with sugar.

70% know that they are not healthy at all and although 33% answered that they do not buy these drinks, 30% said that they would decide to buy a brand with fewer labels.

Only 19% would redirect their consumption towards one without sugar.

Those that are "original flavor" have the black stamp of "Excess in sugars" and the legend that it contains caffeine.

Those of "light flavor", the two legends: "Contains sweeteners" and "Contains caffeine".

Others, in addition to excess sugars, specify excess calories.

The black seals arrived at the gondolas.

Photo Cecilia Profético

The law is clear, it is not that of a nutritional traffic light, which goes from green to red according to a score, but rather that

the black octagons go from being or not being on the packages

according to the nutrient profile rod established by the Pan American Food Organization. Health (PAHO).

Sources linked to the debate on the norm, who were always in favor of the implementation of stamps, told

Clarín

that the eventual confusion in soft drinks "does not stem from an error in the law but from

a visual issue of label change

" and that "It is a matter of habit that it is no longer foreign to see a stamp or not to see it".

Returning to the study, in the case of sweets, an "unhealthy" category for 71% of the people surveyed,

40% would choose the same brand as always even if it has stamps

and 20% would look for an alternative with fewer stamps.

The contrast is seen in the products that have the best press from a nutritional point of view.

In the cereal category, the report shows that 78% consider them healthy and

46% would seek to change their usual brand for another with fewer labels

, compared to 25% who would choose it anyway.

In this line,

yogurts have the highest degree of perception of healthiness

, which amounts to 92%, and the propensity to change brands amounts to 42%, compared to 38% who stated that they would maintain their brand regardless of the black octagons.

A striking case is that of lactal bread, whose perception of healthiness amounts to only 53% and the attitudes of changing brands towards one with fewer stamps and buying the same as always are almost equal, with 31% and 30% respectively. .

Why, despite the stamps, do we not make good choices?

"The choice has not only to do with thinking about what is nutritious and healthy. It

also has to do with pleasure and desire

. Something very important that we have to address with our patients is that it is not just a label on the package that matters, but educating , teach that we must tend to choose healthy foods most of the time, and that this way, when we give in to desire, to pleasure, we can do it without guilt", explains to Clarín María de los Ángeles Sánchez Calvin, a medical specialist in

nutrition

and psychonutrition.

The expert advises that consumers ask themselves "What do I want to choose for food and what consequence do I want to have in my body from that choice?"

Because based on that concern, she says, "it is much easier for the decision to be intuitive, for it to come from the inside, from what I want to eat, not to be told what to eat from the outside." 

She talks about empowered consumers.

"

It takes time for people to incorporate the stamps as their own

. But the law did begin to be effective so that consumers have information for their decision," he closes.

The Inter-American Heart Federation (FIC) Argentina carried out a survey during the summer to analyze compliance with the labeling law that included six supermarkets from different chains in the city of Buenos Aires.

105 products with precautionary seals and legends were identified.

83% of the supermarkets (that is, in 5 of the 6 surveyed) non-compliance was detected regarding the disposition of products in the gondola, that is, products were found whose seals were not visible to the consumer without the need to turn the packaging (for example, soda bottles and jam jars).

In addition, in 67% of the supermarkets promotions associated with the price were found (such as "15% discount" and "50% discount on the second unit") on products with seals, which also shows a breach of the provisions of the law.

Regarding the purchase decision, Leila Guarnieri, nutritionist and researcher at FIC, tells this newspaper that "to see health results, you

have to give it time

, especially considering that our law provides for a gradual implementation."

Using the experience of Chile as a reference, the pioneer country in our region in applying black seals, Guarnieri points out that the evidence shows that

the greatest impact is observed in products perceived as healthy

.

"In other words, the labeling made it possible

to 'unmask' products that contain critical nutrients

such as excess sugars, fats or sodium and that before the law were believed to be healthy, such as yogurts, juices, breakfast cereals and snack bars. cereal," he points out.

Based on that Chilean experience, they say that something similar can be expected to happen in Argentina, "that the buying attitude will change more in those products that were previously considered healthy and now the labeling shows that they are not."

It should be remembered that the law (which during the debate did not resolve issues related to its main criticism, 

the lack of active pedagogy

 to teach something more than mark excesses) is more comprehensive than the octagons.

Snack consumers, among the least likely to change brands for stamps.

Photo: Andres D'Elia

Establishes the

prohibition of advertising

of food and beverages that contain at least one warning label aimed at children and adolescents;

it prohibits cartoons, athletes or celebrities and gifts and contests on the packages and if they have more than one seal, these products cannot be sold in primary or secondary schools.

The importance of knowing

The ShowApp report shows that 7 out of 10 Argentine consumers know that the Frontal Labeling Law exists, but only 28% stated that they knew a lot or a lot about it, so there is a lack of

information

.

One of the most prominent points during the debate on the bill focused on the vitality of knowing what was chosen, of understanding the nutritional quality of food at a glance.

Something that seemed "illegible" when looking at the information table that breaks down the ingredients and calories on the back.

This report shows that, in general, men, people over 50, and those in lower-middle income sectors tend to perceive the categories as “healthier” than average.

The other groups (women, high-income and young people) present a

more "sharp" eye

regarding what is healthy and what is not.


As in the previous point, women, over 30 and from high-income sectors, tend to have more radical attitudes of abandoning brands and categories.

What happens in the kiosks

Before official data on the effect of labeling in general is known, another investigation, in this case by Voices!

and exclusively for

Clarín

, it shows what consumption is like in newsstands in the country.

7 out of 10 Argentines buy weekly in a kiosk and almost half buy in kiosks 4 times a week or more (46%).

Since 2018,

the number of

kiosk

shoppers

has increased slightly (89% vs. 93% today).

57% of those who consume the most belong to low-income sectors and what is bought the most, of course, are

sweets and chocolates, followed by soft drinks

.

The purchase of sweets in kiosks

grows at a higher level of income

 (it is 61% in the ABC1 target) and in Capital (57%, 51% in GBA and Interior).

The

purchase of cookies

grows among young people and in low-income sectors, compared to the same study in 2018. It also does so among those who buy the most in kiosks and among these consumers the purchase of cigarettes also increased.

7 out of 10 agree that school kiosks should only sell healthy products, such as juices, fruits, and homemade baked goods.

ACE

look too

A food that takes care of the heart and works against cancer is used less here than in the world

Front-facing food labeling: few controls and there is still a lack of information on the gondolas

Source: clarin

All life articles on 2023-03-08

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