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When Food Scanner Apps Outperform Front‐of‐Pack Nutrition Labels

Author

Listed:
  • Camille Cornudet

    (IAE Paris - Sorbonne Business School)

  • Marie‐eve Laporte

    (RITM - Réseaux Innovation Territoires et Mondialisation - Université Paris-Saclay)

  • Fabienne Berger-Remy

    (DRM - Dauphine Recherches en Management - Université Paris Dauphine-PSL - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

  • Béatrice Parguel

    (DRM - Dauphine Recherches en Management - Université Paris Dauphine-PSL - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

  • Jean‐loup Richet

    (LAB IAE Paris - Sorbonne - IAE Paris - Sorbonne Business School)

Abstract

While consumers increasingly use food scanner apps as an alternative to front‐of‐pack labels, the effectiveness of these nutritional signals in promoting healthier food choices remains a topic of debate. This study examines when and under what conditions food scanner apps encourage healthier eating and outperform front‐of‐pack nutrition labels. It builds on four studies: a quantitative content analysis of over 16,000 online reviews and a survey of 86 respondents in an exploratory phase, along with two experiments that test the conceptual model. The findings identify three conditions where food scanner apps outperform front‐of‐pack labels: when the nutritional quality score of a product is poor, when consumers distrust the dominant players, and when mid‐range brands have average brand equity. These findings suggest that food scanner apps and front‐of‐pack labels complement rather than oppose each other, thus providing key insights for policymakers and food brand managers.

Suggested Citation

  • Camille Cornudet & Marie‐eve Laporte & Fabienne Berger-Remy & Béatrice Parguel & Jean‐loup Richet, 2025. "When Food Scanner Apps Outperform Front‐of‐Pack Nutrition Labels," Post-Print hal-05013772, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05013772
    DOI: 10.1002/mar.22214
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://universite-paris-saclay.hal.science/hal-05013772v1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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