The absence of accessible, legible food labeling in increasingly popular online grocery shopping “has tangible consequences for public health,” according to new research by the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, US. Food information, such as nutrition facts, ingredients or allergens, is not always accessible to US consumers when they buy food online. 

The researchers note that this is a pervasive problem. The team researched ten online retailers, representing at least 79% of the US online grocery market in 2022, evaluating a basket of 60 F&B items. 

On average, the FDA-required labels for Nutrition Facts, ingredients, allergen statements and share of juice for fruit drinks were only present, accessible and legible for 35.1% of items. In addition, data availability varied widely by retailer (6.6%–86.3%).

“The government has clearly intended that you should be able to know certain things about your food,” says the study’s senior author, Sean Cash, Bergstrom Foundation professor in Global Nutrition at the Friedman School, US. “The way we’ve regulated that in the US is to put that information on the packaging. But that hasn’t carried over to online spaces very well.”

“It’s far easier to find marketing that’s trying to sell you the food rather than the information that our society agrees should be there to tell you about your food.”

The researchers examined seven “voluntary elements” — claims on nutrient content, health, ingredients, structure-function and additives, as well as front-of-package nutrient profiling symbols and marketing claims. These elements were available for 45.8% of products, with marketing claims having the highest prevalence (83.7% of products) and structure-function claims the lowest (2%).

Gaps in federal regulations

The finding that information required by the FDA on food, such as nutrition facts, ingredient and allergen lists, was less present than marketing claims reveals a “major gap” in federal regulations, says Cash. The FDA requires food manufacturers to present this information on food packaging, but online grocery retailers are not required to reproduce it on their websites. 

The researchers highlight that the FDA requested information on food labeling in online grocery shopping, citing earlier research by the team. However, the agency has not yet taken regulatory action to close the gap. 

As the popularity of online grocery shopping continues to grow, Cash questions why online food retailers have not attempted to pre-empt regulatory action and make the information available. “We thought there might be practical changes in what food retailers are doing.”

“We, and others, have been pushing for change,” he adds. Cash sees two solutions to address the issue — regulators may pass new legislation to compel food retailers to make labeling accessible, or the US government can provide a public database of packaged foods’ nutrition, ingredient and allergen information. 

Julia Sharib, the study’s first author and manager of research and communications for the Food is Medicine Institute at the Friedman School, also calls for modern regulation of the growing online grocery sector. 

She adds: “We saw many cases in which a nutrition facts label, for example, was only accessible after scrolling through a dozen marketing images, essentially forcing any consumers seeking that label to interact with marketing language.” 

Public health implications

The study, published in Public Health Nutrition, includes products across eight categories to represent a typical range of food commonly sold at supermarkets. The authors used a formula employed by the USDA to administer food assistance programs. 

According to the authors, research indicates that access to ingredient lists and nutrition facts benefits population health. Sharib warns that if consumers cannot access that information, retailers “risk perpetuating consumer’s incorrect understandings about the healthfulness of the foods they buy.” 

For example, research indicates online labels could increase healthy food consumption better than discounts. 

In addition, people with allergies need information on food allergens, and consumers who follow specific diets to control health conditions seek out foods with a particular nutrient content. “For example, if you’re worried about sodium intake because you have hypertension, food labeling can be an essential part of your life,” illustrates Cash. 

He highlights that without regulation on food labels in online grocery shopping, food manufacturers’ websites are the best source of nutrition information and ingredient lists. However, he underscores that regulators and the industry should be responsible for providing this information to consumers. “Putting the burden on consumers is not what we should be doing.”