Sales effects of product health information at points of purchase: a systematic review

[摘要] ObjectiveInformation about healthy and unhealthy nutrients is increasingly conveyed at the point of purchase. Many studies have investigated the effects of product health information on attitudes and intentions, but the empirical evidence becomes sketchier when the focus of research is actual purchase behaviour. The present paper provides an overview of empirical evidence on the effectiveness of product health information for food products at the point of purchase.DesignA systematic literature review was conducted.SettingOnly studies were included that assessed the effect of product health information at the point of purchase on actual purchase behaviour, using data provided by stores’ sales records or obtained by investigating customer receipts as the primary outcome measure.SubjectsThe included studies’ target group comprised supermarket clientele.ResultsSeveral studies found no significant effects of product health information on actual purchase behaviour. Interventions were more likely to be effective when they lasted for a longer time, when they included additional intervention components, and when they targeted the absence of unhealthy nutrients instead of or in addition to the presence of healthy nutrients.ConclusionsNo strong evidence for the effectiveness of product health information was found. The effect of intervention duration, additional promotional activities and targeting of healthy v. unhealthy nutrients should be closely examined in future studies.

[学科分类] 卫生学

[关键词] Nutritional information;Food;Supermarkets;Sales data