How ‘traffic light’ labels promote healthier eating
A simple, color-coded system for labeling food items in a hospital cafeteria appears to increase customers’ attention to the nutritional value of their food choices, and encourage the purchase of the healthiest items. In a report in the October issue of Preventive Medicine, investigators at the Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) describe customer responses to surveys taken before and after the 2010 implementation of a system using green, yellow, or red “traffic light” labels to reflect the nutritional quality of items. “Several small, experimental studies have suggested that ‘traffic light’ labels can be an effective method of promoting healthier choices, but there have been few real-world studies of customers’ perceptions and purchasing behaviors in response to this type of labeling,” explained Lillian Sonnenberg of MGH Nutrition and Food Service, the corresponding author of the report. “Our results suggest that these labels are an effective method for conveying information about healthy and...