The warning and promotional effects of Front-Of-Pack (FOP) nutrition labeling on food products

French authorities encourage Front-of-Pack nutrition labels on food products (PNNS 2016). The goal is to inform consumers about the nutritional qualities of the products they purchase and to encourage the consumption of healthy products. This study analyzes the effects of these labels using an online experiment with 176 consumers who evaluate three types of breakfast cereal with different nutritional qualities. We show that nutritional labels (whether in the interpretive format like the French 5C or the descriptive format like the GDA) impact the evaluation of products by consumers. However, the interpretive format is more effective than the descriptive format at warning consumers about unhealthy products and at promoting healthy products.