How good are the studies that evaluatie front of pack food labeling?

front of pack labels on food products are very common nowadays. They are meant to help consumers make informed decisions regarding what they buy and eat. The effects of such front of pack labels on consumer and producer behavior has been evaluated in a number of studies. In a earlier published studies we, with Dr. Ellis Vyth as first author, studied the effects of the choices / 'ik kies bewust' logo, and found that such a logo appears to be more effective in encouraging food producers to make 'healthier' food products -i.e. food products that comply to the logo's standards -, than in promoting healthier choices among consumers. Dr. Vyth has subsequently taken the lead in providing an overview of studies evaluation front of pack logo's and has reviewed the methodological quality of such studies. A paper describing this review just appeared in e-pub in the journal Nutrition Reviews. The quality of 31 studies was assessed. The results showed that the methodological quality of published front-of-pack labeling research is generally low to mediocre; objective observational data-based consumer studies were of higher quality than consumer studies relying on self-reports. Experimental studies that included a control group were lacking. The review further revealed a lack of a validated methodology to measure the use of front-of-pack labels and the effects of these labels in real-life settings. In conclusion, few methodologically sound front-of-pack labeling studies are presently available. The evidence for effects for front of pack labeling is thus weak.