Deceptive and Misleading Nutrition and Health Claims: A Review of Consumer Behaviour and Implications for Industry and Public Policy

Global diets are shifting towards highly processed, calorie-dense and often unhealthy foods, contributing to the growing prevalence of diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which has reached critical levels worldwide, particularly in high-income countries. Nutrition labelling is a fundamental tool to promote healthy eating, both at individual and community level. In the European Union (EU), the regulatory framework on nutrition labelling aims to protect consumers, limiting information asymmetry between the public and food producers. However, gaps in the implementation of the Regulation (EC) No. 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims may allow unhealthy products, including those high in salt, sugar and fat, to carry positive nutrition and health claims often under industry initiatives. Similar regulatory challenges exist in other countries, where differences in regulatory frameworks and enforcement may permit positive nutritional claims on unhealthy products, generating cognitive biases that influence consumers’ perceptions and behaviour. These claims may be misleading, causing consumers to overestimate the healthiness of a product and potentially allowing food companies to use them for market positioning as demand for healthier options increases. This thesis reviews the literature on consumer responses to deceptive and misleading nutrition and health claims on food products and discusses implications for the food industry and policymakers. A total of 35 consumer studies were identified, reviewed and the results were analysed and discussed. The key results show that nutrition and health claims are widespread and often act as misleading cues. Specifically, certain claims generate a health halo or a positivity bias, distorting consumer perceptions and, in some cases, consumer behaviour by leading consumers to believe a product is healthier, which increases the likelihood of it being selected. In addition, many consumers lack the basic objective knowledge required to interpret these claims correctly or to understand their legal definition. Finally, this thesis discusses the implication of these marketing practices for both the food industry and policymakers.