How Online Grocery Stores Support Consumer Nutrition Information Needs

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the availability of nutrition-related information and features on leading online grocery store Web sites. Methods: Twelve US grocery Web sites were assessed to determine (1) if Nutrition Facts panel or ingredient statements were available for 26 food items; and (2) if options to filter or sort search results by nutritionrelated food attributes were available. Results: Nutrition Facts panel and ingredient statement information were available for most foods for which this information is required on product packaging (85% of foods). Most stores offered the ability to filter food search results by a nutrition-related food attribute. The ability to sort search results by a nutrition attribute was not an option at any of the stores. Conclusions and Implications: Online grocery stores include a variety of nutrition-related features. However, the Nutrition Facts panel and ingredient statement information are not universally available for foods for which this information is required on product packaging.

The Availability and Quality of Food Labelling Components in the Canadian E-Grocery Retail Environment

“…The poor availability and inconsistencies in key labelling information may hinder consumers from making informed purchasing decisions. Consistent with a previous study on the US e-grocery retail environment [ 16 ], a wide variability in the availability and quality of key labelling information was observed. With the lack of ability to physically assess products, e-grocery shoppers rely on the available product information to make informed purchasing decisions.…”

“…With the lack of ability to physically assess products, e-grocery shoppers rely on the available product information to make informed purchasing decisions. However, the lack of information can inadvertently discourage purchasing certain foods, as seen with increased hesitancy in purchasing fresh produce online compared to brick-and-mortar stores [ 16 ]. It can also increase dependency on previous knowledge of products or limited information, resulting in increased brand-loyalty, price insensitivity, and favoring of processed and ultra-processed foods for their longer shelf-life [ 2 , 14 , 15 ].…”

“…Key labelling information required on food labels, as per the FDR [ 12 ], were examined to compare the availability of information: nutrition facts table (NFt), ingredient information, allergen information, nutrition and health claims, date marking, storage information, and package information (including recycling information). NFt, ingredient, and allergen statements were counted for availability, then further assessed for quality based on the following 4 categories, as previously reported [ 16 ]: (1) located on product information page with no scrolling required; (2) located on the product information page, but scrolling is required to view on the same page; (3) information is available within one click away from the product information page; and (4) only available as part of the product image. Nutrition, health, and other food claims, regulated by Health Canada or Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (e.g., “no added sugars”, “high source of fiber”, “organic”), were assessed for the presence as part of the website product description (i.e., not part of the food images).…”

“…The behavioral differences between e-grocery and brick-and-mortar shoppers may, in part, be related to the lack of or difficulties in accessing product information on retail websites. In the U.S., the mandatory nutrition facts label was only present for 85% of the products on 12 grocery websites, with most of the nutrition facts labels available after scrolling or with an additional click on the product description page [ 16 ]. With limited studies examining the availability of food labelling components in the e-grocery retail environment, the objective of this study was to examine the availability and quality of food labelling components of products sold by leading Canadian grocery websites.…”

Point-of-Decision Prompts Increase Dietary Fiber Content of Consumers’ Food Choices in an Online Grocery Shopping Simulation

“…In addition to the need to further study the use of PDPs in a grocery store environment, there is also a need to study its use in the online grocery shopping environment. Online grocery shopping is growing in popularity [ 27 ], but research on the feasibility of online nutrition promotion initiatives is limited [ 28 ]. In one poll, fewer consumers indicated looking at nutrition information when shopping for groceries online compared to a physical store [ 29 ], suggesting that health promotion interventions may be more critical in the online environment than in physical retail outlets.…”