Evaluation and comparison of the effectiveness of front-of-package labeling systems for pre-packaged and ultra-processed foods and non-alcoholic beverages in Cartago and San José, Costa Rica

Effects of front-of-package nutrition labelling systems on objective understanding and purchase intention of food and non-alcoholic drink products in Costa Rica: randomized controlled trial

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN12060665

Enrollment

1325

Registered

2023-07-17

Start date

2022-01-14

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2023-08-02

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Improvement on consumers' ability to correctly identify products with excessive amounts of sugars, fats, and sodium, to correctly identify the product option that is the least harmful to health, and to choose to purchase the least harmful choices or none of them options if they are all harmful. Not Applicable

Interventions

Allocation is random at an equal rate (1/5) to five study groups (four experimental and the control group). The randomisation of the experimental conditions and groups was completed by adopting a Will

the only difference across groups is the front-of-package (FOP) labelling scheme they feature. Mock-ups shown to participants feature solely one of the following FOPL schemes tested, according to the

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Adult supermarket shoppers residing in Costa Rica aged 18 years old or older.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. Visually impaired people 2. Persons unable to give informed consent 3. People who deny being part of this study

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Measured using responses obtained from respondents by the interviewers by means of the application of a structured questionnaire after they were shown two-dimensional images of mock-up products: 1. Product selection 2. Correct identification of sugars, sodium and/or saturated fats found to be in excess	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Gender, age and education level measured by structured questionnaire after they were shown two-dimensional images of mock-up products	—

Countries

Costa Rica

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026