Nutrition Information and Education

Dietary recommendations can lead to improvements in diet quality by encouraging consumers to make different food choices and through supply-side changes as food manufacturers adjust their offerings to align with recommendations. For example, the recommendation specifying that half of all grains should be whole, first published in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines, led to an increase in whole-grain bread purchases (Mancino, L. and F. Kuchler. 2012. "Demand for Whole-Grain Bread Before and After the Release of the Dietary Guidelines," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, 34(1):76-101). Higher-income households responded directly to the recommendations, while lower-income households responded to lower prices for whole-grain breads due to the increased supply as manufacturers prepared for greater demand following the release of the 2005 Guidelines.

An ERS report examined how diet quality relates to consumers' use of nutritional information, including the MyPlate Plan and the Nutrition Facts Label. The study found that only a small share of consumers (13 percent) often use nutrition information. The researchers found a positive relationship between the use of nutrition information and the nutritional quality of purchases from grocery and other food stores (food at home). The positive correlation between nutrition information use and nutritional quality of food-at-home purchases was also found for households participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, low-income nonparticipant households, and higher income nonparticipant households.

Information alone is not enough to lead to dramatic improvements in diet quality (Guthrie, J. et al.. 2015. "Nudging Consumers Toward Better Food Choices: Policy Approaches to Changing Food Consumption Behaviors," Psychology & Marketing, 32(5):501–511.) Food labeling and small policy nudges can complement dietary guidance.