Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38935699›Full record

Trial reportPloS one2024

The impact of an eco-score label on US consumers' perceptions of environmental sustainability and intentions to purchase food: A randomized experiment.

Lindsey Smith Taillie, Julia A Wolfson, Carmen E Prestemon, Maxime Bercholz, Laina Ewoldt, Phoebe R Ruggles, Marissa G Hall

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in PloS one, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Trial
  4. Trial
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Article
  8. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Lindsey Smith TaillieCarolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America.ORCID 0000-0002-4555-2525
Julia A WolfsonDepartment of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States of America.
Carmen E PrestemonCarolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America.ORCID 0000-0002-5978-8061
Maxime BercholzCarolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America.ORCID 0000-0002-3279-6408
Laina EwoldtDepartment of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America.
Phoebe R RugglesDepartment of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America.
Marissa G HallCarolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America.

Funding

POPULATION STUDIEST32HD007168 · NICHD · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI ELIZABETH A FRANKENBERG · 1985 to 2026
$13.8M
Research Services CoreP2CHD050924 · NICHD · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI KAREN B GUZZO · 2015 to 2026
$9.6M
Cancer Control Education ProgramT32CA057726 · NCI · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI Melissa B Gilkey, Melissa A. Troester · 2017 to 2026
$3.7M
NCI NIH HHS T32 CA057726NICHD NIH HHS P2C HD050924NICHD NIH HHS T32 HD007168
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Front-of-package labels indicating a product's environmental footprint (i.e., eco-score labels) offer promise to shift consumers towards more sustainable food choices. This study aimed to understand whether eco-score labels impacted consumers' perceptions of environmental sustainability and intentions to purchase sustainable and unsustainable foods. US parents (n = 1,013) completed an online experiment in which they were shown 8 food products (4 sustainable and 4 unsustainable). Participants were randomized to a control (n = 503, barcode on product packaging) or eco-score label group (n = 510, eco-score label on product packaging). The eco-score label was color-coded with a grade of A-F based on the product's environmental footprint, where "A" indicates relative sustainability and "F" indicates relative unsustainability. Participants rated each product's environmental sustainability and their future likelihood of purchase. We used multilevel mixed-effects linear regression models and examined moderation by product category and sociodemographic characteristics. The eco-score label lowered perceived sustainability of unsustainable products by 13% in relative terms or -0.4 in absolute terms (95% CI -0.5, -0.3; p<0.001). The eco-score label increased perceived sustainability of sustainable products by 16% in relative terms or 0.6 in absolute terms (95% CI 0.5, 0.7, p<0.001). Effects on purchase intentions were smaller, with a 6% decrease for unsustainable products (p = 0.001) and an 8% increase for sustainable products (p<0.001). For unsustainable products, the effect of eco-score labels on sustainability perceptions was greater for older adults, men, participants with higher educational attainment, and participants with higher incomes. For sustainable products, the effect of ecolabels on sustainability perceptions was greater for those with higher educational attainment. Eco-score labels have the potential to direct consumers towards more sustainable products. Future studies should investigate eco-score label effectiveness on behavioral outcomes.

Indexed as

Consumer BehaviorFood LabelingIntentionAdolescentAdultChoice BehaviorConservation of Natural ResourcesFemaleFood PreferencesHumansMaleMiddle AgedPerceptionUnited StatesYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID38935699
PMCPMC11210794

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.