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Cited by 134Consumer Attitudes and Food LabelingOrganic Food and AgricultureEnvironmental Sustainability in Business

Consumer interaction with sustainability labelling on food products: a narrative literature review

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Cook, Brian, Costa Leite, João, Rayner, Mike, Stoffel, Sandro, van Rijn, Elaine, Wollgast, Jan·2023·Nutrients
DOI 10.3390/nu15173837PMC PMC10489983
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Abstract

Sustainability labelling on food products can help consumers make informed purchasing decisions and support the urgent transition to sustainable food systems. While there is a relatively robust body of evidence on health and nutrition labelling, less is known about the effectiveness of sustainability labelling in facilitating sustainable food choices. This paper investigates the impact of sustainability labelling on consumer understanding, attitudes, and behaviour to support a more nuanced, detailed, and holistic understanding of the evidence. Using a narrative literature review methodology, the paper assesses studies covering environmental, social, and/or animal welfare aspects of sustainability labelling on food products. We found that consumer understanding of sustainability information is often limited, which could hinder behaviour change. While sustainability labelling can influence consumer attitudes and purchasing behaviours, evidence from real consumer settings tends to show small effect sizes. Consumers are generally willing to pay more for sustainability-labelled products, and organic labelling often leads to the highest reported willingness to pay. The review emphasises the importance of trust, suggesting a preference for labelling backed by governments or public authorities. Sustainability labelling that uses intuitively understandable cues has an increased impact, with visual aids such as traffic light colours showing promise. We conclude that further research is needed in real-world settings, using representative populations and exploring the influence of demographic factors, values, and attitudes.

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  • Cook et al. (2023) also observed that consumers are generally willing to pay moderately more for products with environmental and personal health-related credentials.

    “Cook et al. (2023) also observed that consumers are generally willing to pay moderately more for products with environmental and personal health-related credentials.”

    From Microalgae biotechnology and its role in sustainable and healthy food design (2025) · cites this paper as Cook et al., 2023

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Authors
Cook, B., Costa Leite, J., Rayner, M., Stoffel, S., van Rijn, E., & Wollgast, J.
Affiliations
  • Independent Researcher, Oxford OX4 3UD, UK
  • European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), 21027 Ispra, Italy
  • University of Oxford (GB)
  • University of Basel (CH)
  • Joint Research Centre (IT)
Corresponding author
Wollgast, Jan
ORCID
Venue
Nutrients
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2023-09-02
Volume
15
Issue
17
Pages
3837
ISSN
2072-6643 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/nu15173837
PMC
PMC10489983
OpenAlex
W4386410611
Cited by
134
References
45
Citations by year
2026: 60 · 2025: 56 · 2024: 18
FWCI
6.62
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Nutrients (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
European Commission (EX2022D594371-101, CT-EX2022D594537-101)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Consumer Attitudes and Food Labeling
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Organic Food and Agriculture
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Environmental Sustainability in Business
Keywords
sustainability labelling, food products, consumer behavior, willingness to pay, organic labeling, consumer trust, traffic light labeling, environmental labelling, social labeling, animal welfare labels, sustainable food choices, consumer understanding, purchasing behaviour
MeSH terms
Animals, Animal Welfare, Cues, Government, Group Processes, Product Labeling

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