Table 3.

Strengths and weaknesses of three different types of front-of-pack labels currently being adopted in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Type of Front-of-Pack Label	Strengths	Weaknesses
Traffic light labelling	✓Simplified information that is easy to understand ✓Interpretive to aid healthy choices ✓Includes an indication of healthy foods and less healthy foods ✓Colour-coding aids understanding, inclusion of ‘reds’ is particularly useful ✓Design based on an already understood concept (traffic lights) ✓Enables comparisons between food categories, within categories and within a specific food type ✓Allows people to pay attention to particular nutrients of concern/interest ✓Examples of country implementation and well-established ✓Potential to drive reformulation of both healthier and less healthy products	✕Not as simple as overall summary system scores (e.g., Nutri-Score) ✕Consumers may have difficulty identifying the healthiest option when there is trade-off between nutrients ✕Focuses only on the “negative” nutrients/components ✕Inclusion in some systems of the noninterpretive element (e.g., percentage of reference intakes) could be confusing ✕Unless implementation is mandatory, it is more likely to be used on healthier products
Nutri-Score	✓Simplified information that is easy to understand ✓Interpretive to aid healthy choices ✓Includes an indication of healthy foods and less healthy foods ✓Provides a single overall score for a food; does not require any understanding of nutrients ✓Design based on an already understood concept in Europe (appliance energy ratings) ✓The nutrient profile takes into account both “negative” and “positive” components of a food ✓Enables comparisons between food categories, within categories and within a specific food type ✓Strong evidence base from extensive research and testing during development ✓Research suggests it is understood by all population groups, including those who normally do not read labels or who have poor diets ✓Potential to drive reformulation of both healthier and less healthy products	✕Does not allow people to pay attention to particular nutrients of concern/interest ✕A relatively new labelling system which has relatively limited country implementation experience ✕Unless implementation is mandatory, it is more likely to be used on healthier products
Health or endorsement logos	✓Simplified information that is easy to understand ✓Interpretive to aid healthy choices ✓Provides a simple logo and does not require any understanding of nutrients ✓Designs are often based on readily understood visual concepts (e.g., tick, heart) ✓Enables comparisons within categories and within a specific food type ✓May meet less resistance than a labelling system which includes “negative” as well as “positive” evaluation of foods ✓Potential to drive reformulation of healthier products	✕Does not include an indication of less healthy foods ✕Does not cover most foods on the market, including those high in fat, sugar or salt ✕Does not always enable comparisons between foods categories ✕Does not allow people to pay attention to particular nutrients ✕Consumers may overestimate the healthiness of products carrying the logo ✕Less likely to drive reformulation of less healthy products