Are Warning Labels on Unhealthy Foods a Good Idea?

Since 1980, obesity rates have doubled in at least 73 countries, and a big culprit, according to most experts, is the increased consumption

of highly processed foods. Public health officials have zeroed in on a new tactic to fight these alarming trends: the use of warning labels on foods with high levels of sugar, salt, or fat.

Chile mandated putting warning labels on unhealthy foods in 2016; Peru, Uruguay, and Israel have followed in the years since, and other countries are considering the idea. Should the United States adopt this approach? A food policy expert and an analyst at a libertarian* think tank face off.

March 29, 2021

Have you ever picked up a snack that looked healthy and then realized it contains as much sugar as a Snickers? The way food is packaged has a big influence on what customers buy. And currently a lot of that packaging encourages people to buy food that contributes to diet-related diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity, that are among the leading causes of death in the U.S.

Requiring front-of-package warning labels indicating that a food or drink is high in sugar, salt, fat, or calories provides a clear and easy way for consumers to avoid products that contribute to poor health. Warning labels also address misleading marketing tactics. Companies conduct extensive research to determine what to put on packages to increase sales, and the messages and claims chosen seem to be designed to confuse rather than inform.

Warning labels discourage people from buying unhealthy foods.

Nutrition-related claims and marketing messages—for example, that something is “all natural” or “organic”—are often placed on products that don’t deliver the nutrition and healthfulness they seem to promise. These claims make people think that a product is beneficial to a healthy diet, when in reality, it might be something that should be consumed infrequently or not at all. Warning labels can cut through the clutter that masks unhealthy ingredients in food and drinks.

Simply put, warning labels work. Research shows that front-of-package warning labels are helpful in identifying foods and beverages that are high in sugar, salt, fat, or calories, and they discourage people from purchasing such products. Just 18 months after Chile’s adoption of warning labels in 2016, there was a 25 percent drop in sugary drink purchases. Since Chile took action, more than a dozen other countries have enacted or are considering food warning labels.

How can consumers make informed choices if food and beverage packages are designed to sell products, not inform the public? Warning labels are a promising policy action that puts our health ahead of companies’ profits. We deserve that.

—FRANCES FLEMING-MILICI

The Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity

Obesity is a serious public health problem. But putting warning labels on unhealthy foods like candy and soda is not the solution.

We already know these foods eaten to excess make us unhealthy. We’ve never had more information about our food, with calorie counts, nutrition labels, and abundant advice about what we should and shouldn’t eat from doctors and nutrition experts. We don’t need the government trying to influence our food choices.

Warning labels exist purely to stigmatize products and the people who consume them. They don’t give consumers information, merely the judgment that they’re making the “wrong choice.” These labels imply that calories from some sources are worse than others. It’s true that too many calories from chocolate can cause obesity, but so can calories from any source. If sodas or candy have warning labels, so should pasta, bread, bacon, steak, and just about everything else.

We don’t need the government trying to influence our food choices.

Besides, warning labels for food don’t work. Consider what happened in Chile, which introduced food warning labels in 2016. One study claimed it cut soda consumption dramatically. But that wasn’t what happened. The study’s conclusion was based on a model of what researchers thought would’ve happened to soda consumption without the labels. In reality, calorie consumption barely budged, and Chile’s obesity rate in 2019 was the same as when the labels were introduced—34.4 percent.

In the United States, soda consumption has been declining for more than 20 years since it hit a peak in 1998. It wasn’t government warnings that were responsible for this decline. It was caused by consumers reacting to information that soda is unhealthy and freely choosing to drink less of it.

Food warning labels won’t work, and they are a bad idea. They are a stepping stone for politicians to control more of your choices and limit your freedom.

—GUY BENTLEY