Journal of Nutrition & Food Sciences
Open Access

The impact of Israel's Front-of-Package labeling reform on consumers' behavior and intentions to change dietary habits

3^rd World Summit on Health Nutrition

January 06, 2022 | Webinar

Shosh Shahrabani

The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College, Israelx

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Nutr Food Sci

Abstract :

In January 2020, Israel launched a reform mandating Front-of-Package (FOP) labeling on food products. The current study examined the factors affecting consumers’ decision-making regarding the use of FOP labels a year after the reform was implemented. A telephone survey was conducted between December 2020 and January 2021 and included a sample of 507 participants age 21 and over. The questionnaire included Health Belief Model (HBM) constructs related to food labeling, nutrition habits, media exposure and extent of support for the reform, frequency of using FOP labels, intention to change purchasing and consumption habits in the coming year, and personal details. The study findings show that 58.5% reported using the FOP labels to some extent. In addition, 70% indicated willingness to change to healthier products in the coming year. The results of the analytical model confirm the validity of the HBM and the other behavioral constructs. In particular, the frequency of using FOP labels increases as the following factors increase: levels of perceived benefits and perceived importance of FOP labels, level of perceived importance of healthy nutrition, frequency of conforming to healthy nutrition, and support for the reform. Conclusions: The study's findings are important for understanding the impact of the new reform and for guiding future complementary actions to increase people’s motivation to use FOP labels

Biography :

Prof. Shosh Shahrabani, Full Professor of Economics (D.Sc.), is the Head of Research Authority and a faculty member at the Economics and Management department at the Max Stern Yezreel Valley College (YVC), Israel. Her research interests are behavioral economics, decision-making and preventive health. Professor Shahrabani is an author or co-author of more than 60 scientific publications in reputed journals and she has been involved in many national and international research projects. Prof. Shahrabani also serves in public offices including membership of the Advisory Council to the Israeli Ministry of Science Technology and Space (MOST) on Gender and Health.