Nutrition labels should be placed in the centre of food packaging, rather than in one corner, if shoppers are going to read them, says a US study.
The Journal of the American Dietetic Association published the results.
In the study, participants were asked to view three elements on a typical food product - the nutrition contents label, a picture and list of ingredients, and a description of the product with price and quantity information - on the left, on the right or in the centre of the packaging.
One third of the participants each saw the nutrition label in one of those positions and were asked whether they would consider buying the product.
Participants were aware that their eye movements would be tracked, but unaware that the study was investigating nutrition information.
The nutrition facts label (also known as the nutrition information panel, and various other slight variations) is a label required on most packaged food in many countries. Marketing and fashion interests may include other claims: "Source of Fibre", "Soluble Fiber", "Omega3", "Excellent Source of Calcium", "No preservatives", "No artificial ... ", and so on—slight varying depending on the country.
Contributors: BBC News, USDA, and K.Robinson
