Labelling advertised foods in social media with the Nutri-score: what role for perceived nutritional value?[Étiquetage des aliments promus sur les réseaux sociaux avec le Nutri-score : quel rôle pour la valeur nutritionnelle perçue ?]

Front-of-pack nutritional labels (FOPNL) steer consumers toward healthier products, but little research is conducted to understand their effects in social media advertisements. We focused on the Nutri-score, which grades products from most nutritious (A) to the least (E). With a sample of 163 respondents, we tested responses to disclosed Nutri scores A/E in Instagram ads. We found that disclosing a Nutri-score A increases perceived nutritional quality of breakfast cereals, while a Nutri-score E decreases it. In addition, a Nutri-score A improves purchase intention through the mediation by perceived nutritional quality. Conversely, a Nutri score E lowers purchase intention through the same mediation. We recommend that food marketers use the Nutri-score to highlight the health and nutritional benefits of their products to increase sales from a setting like social media. Policymakers in France and elsewhere should consider making the Nutri-score mandatory in ads to fight poor dieting.