Abstract Nutritional warnings have been recently proposed as an interpretative front-of-package nutrition labelling scheme to highlight unhealthful products. This scheme is particularly relevant in food markets characterized by a high availability of processed products with unfavourable nutrient profile. However, it remains unclear to what extent, how and under which circumstances warnings on food packages can change consumers’ food choices. The present study aimed at evaluating the influence of nutritional warnings on consumers’ purchase decisions by exploring within-category product substitution or abandonment of the category, as well as to identify consumer groups that differ in reaction to the warnings. A repeated purchase simulation was conducted with 395 Uruguayan consumers. Participants were asked to complete two successive choice-tasks with eight product-categories. Results showed that warnings modified the choices of approximately half of the participants. Within-category product substitution was the most common change in participants’ choices. However, abandonment was the dominant effect in categories for which all products included at least one warning. Consumers reacting more strongly to the warnings were characterized by greater health motivation. These results confirm the potential of nutritional warnings to encourage consumers to make more healthful choices, point to the market potential of reformulated products, and stress the need for policy makers to increase consumer’s health motivation.

中文翻译：

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营养警告和产品替代或放弃：重复购买模拟产生的政策影响

摘要 营养警告最近被提议作为一种解释性的包装正面营养标签方案，以突出不健康的产品。该计划特别适用于食品市场，其特点是具有不利营养成分的加工产品的高可用性。然而，目前尚不清楚食品包装上的警告在多大程度上、如何以及在何种情况下会改变消费者的食品选择。本研究旨在通过探索类别内产品替代或放弃该类别来评估营养警告对消费者购买决策的影响，以及识别对警告反应不同的消费者群体。对 395 名乌拉圭消费者进行了重复购买模拟。参与者被要求完成两个连续的选择任务，其中包含八个产品类别。结果表明，警告改变了大约一半参与者的选择。类别内产品替代是参与者选择中最常见的变化。然而，在所有产品都包含至少一个警告的类别中，放弃是主要影响。对警告反应更强烈的消费者的特点是健康动机更强。这些结果证实了营养警告在鼓励消费者做出更健康的选择方面的潜力，指出了重新配方产品的市场潜力，并强调政策制定者需要增加消费者的健康动机。类别内产品替代是参与者选择中最常见的变化。然而，在所有产品都包含至少一个警告的类别中，放弃是主要影响。对警告反应更强烈的消费者的特点是健康动机更强。这些结果证实了营养警告在鼓励消费者做出更健康的选择方面的潜力，指出了重新配方产品的市场潜力，并强调政策制定者需要增加消费者的健康动机。类别内产品替代是参与者选择中最常见的变化。然而，在所有产品都包含至少一个警告的类别中，放弃是主要影响。对警告反应更强烈的消费者的特点是健康动机更强。这些结果证实了营养警告在鼓励消费者做出更健康的选择方面的潜力，指出了重新配方产品的市场潜力，并强调政策制定者需要增加消费者的健康动机。