Nutri-Score confirms itself as a strategic tool for public health also in Saudi Arabia, where obesity has reached alarming levels (21.4–24.7% amongst adults) and it is therefore necessary to promote healthier food choices through simple and effective nutritional communication. A recent experimental study conducted by AlQurashi et al. (2025) and published in Frontiers in Public Health represents the first systematic investigation, in the Kingdom, into the effectiveness of front-of-pack nutrition labelling (Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labelling, FoPNL).
The results unequivocally highlight the superior efficacy of Nutri-Score compared to other summary labelling systems adopted internationally, thanks to its ability to improve understanding of nutritional profiles by Saudi consumers and guide their choices towards healthier options. The methodological originality of the study, adapted to the local linguistic and cultural reality, offers solid scientific evidence to guide future national nutrition policy.
The experience of the United Arab Emirates with the Nutri-Mark system is also highlighted, suggesting a possible pathway for regional harmonisation of labelling policies. The evidence produced has significant implications for obesity prevention and the development of integrated food policy and public health strategies throughout the Gulf region.
Methodology and study design
The researchers employed a rigorous randomised experimental design involving 2,509 Saudi consumers aged 18 years and above, recruited from public places across Riyadh between January 2022 and January 2023. The study’s methodology was adapted from established international research frameworks (Egnell et al., 2018) but tailored specifically for the Saudi consumer context through Arabic language translation and culturally relevant food product selection.
Participants were exposed to five distinct FOPNL systems: Health Star Rating (HSR), Guideline Daily Amount (GDA), Multiple Traffic Lights (MTL), Chilean Warning Octagons (CWO), and Nutri-Score (NS). The experimental protocol involved two sequential phases: initial exposure to unlabelled food products, followed by the same products featuring assigned FOPNL systems. Five food categories were examined: bread, cheese, cereals, nuggets, and juice, representing diverse nutrient profiles commonly consumed in Saudi Arabia.
The study incorporated both food choice tasks and ranking tasks to assess consumer behaviour and objective understanding, respectively. Participants selected products they would purchase and ranked items according to perceived nutritional quality. This dual-assessment approach enabled a comprehensive evaluation of how different labelling formats influence both immediate purchasing decisions and longer-term nutritional comprehension.
Key findings
Nutri-Score superiority in food choice improvement
The study’s most significant finding demonstrates that Nutri-Score substantially outperformed other FoPNL systems in encouraging healthier food selections. Participants exposed to Nutri-Score were 1.96 times more likely to select healthier food options compared to those presented with GDA labels—the latter being included as voluntary ‘Reference Intakes’ under the Food Information Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 (AlQurashi et al., 2025).
This statistical significance remained consistent across multiple food categories, with particularly pronounced effects observed for cheese products (Odds Ratio, OR = 2.18) and cereals (OR = 2.16).
Notably, when accounting for participants’ education, income, and existing nutrition knowledge, none of the other labelling systems performed significantly better than the basic GDA format — only Nutri-Score showed statistically significant improvements. This finding aligns with international comparative studies demonstrating Nutri-Score’s effectiveness across diverse cultural contexts (Egnell et al., 2020; Pettigrew et al., 2023; König et al., 2025).
Enhanced objective understanding and ranking accuracy
Beyond influencing immediate food choices, Nutri-Score demonstrated superior performance in enhancing consumers’ objective understanding of nutritional quality. Participants using Nutri-Score showed markedly improved ability to correctly rank products according to their nutritional value across all food categories (OR = 5.81) (AlQurashi et al., 2025). This substantial improvement was followed by Multiple Traffic Lights (OR = 3.16) and Chilean Warning Ectagon (OR = 2.08).
The ranking task results provide crucial insights into consumer comprehension beyond immediate purchasing behaviour. Nutri-Score’s colour-coded system and summary format appear particularly effective in communicating complex nutritional information to Saudi consumers, facilitating more accurate nutritional quality assessments compared to nutrient-specific labels requiring greater cognitive processing.
Socioeconomic and Behavioural Determinants
The research identified several critical demographic factors influencing labelling effectiveness. Higher education levels, increased household income, better self-assessed diet quality, greater nutrition knowledge, and enhanced label awareness significantly correlated with improved food choice scores across all categories (AlQurashi et al., 2025). These findings underscore the importance of educational interventions and health literacy programmes in maximising FoPNL system effectiveness.
Interestingly, age emerged as a positive predictor of healthier food choices in the overall model and specific categories, including cheese, cereals, and bread. This pattern suggests that older consumers may demonstrate greater health consciousness or possess more developed healthy eating habits, consistent with findings from other international studies (Szakos et al., 2022).
Discussion and implications
Theoretical framework and consumer psychology
The superior performance of Nutri-Score aligns with established dual-process theory in consumer psychology, which suggests that summary indicators requiring minimal cognitive effort are more effective than complex numerical labels (Kahneman, 2011; Sanjari et al., 2017). The colour-coding system inherent in Nutri-Score provides intuitive ‘stop’ and ‘go’ signals that transcend literacy barriers and cultural differences, making nutritional information more accessible to diverse consumer populations.
The study’s findings support previous research demonstrating that interpretive FoPNLs outperform reductive models in guiding consumer behaviour (Julia et al., 2016; Ducrot et al., 2016). This effectiveness stems from Nutri-Score’s integration of both summary information and visual cues, reducing the cognitive burden on consumers while maintaining nutritional accuracy.
Public health and policy implications
Given Saudi Arabia’s current obesity epidemic and absence of standardised nutrition labelling, the study’s findings provide compelling evidence for policy intervention. The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) may consider incorporating Nutri-Score into existing nutritional labelling regulations, building upon current calorie labelling requirements introduced in 2019.
Implementation of Nutri-Score could yield substantial public health benefits, particularly when combined with targeted nutrition education programmes addressing the 21.6% of participants who reported lacking nutrition knowledge (AlQurashi et al., 2025). The study revealed that 13.8% of consumers were unfamiliar with food labelling systems, highlighting the need for comprehensive health literacy initiatives.
Regional policy developments and future directions
The growing regional momentum for front-of-pack nutrition labelling is exemplified by the United Arab Emirates‘ recent implementation of the Nutri-Mark system in Abu Dhabi. Announced in November 2024 and becoming mandatory from June 2025, Nutri-Mark represents a significant policy innovation that closely follows the Nutri-Score model while being adapted for local contexts (Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council, 2024). This system employs an A-E grading scale with colour-coding similar to Nutri-Score, initially covering five food categories: oils, dairy products, beverages, baked goods, and children’s foods.
The UAE’s mandatory implementation of Nutri-Mark demonstrates the practical feasibility and political commitment required for effective nutrition labelling policy. Unlike the voluntary approach adopted in European countries, Abu Dhabi’s regulatory framework includes strict enforcement mechanisms, with non-compliant products being withdrawn from markets and manufacturers facing financial penalties. This enforcement strategy provides valuable insights for Saudi policy makers considering similar interventions, suggesting that mandatory systems with robust compliance mechanisms may achieve greater public health impact than voluntary approaches.
The regional adoption of Nutri-Score-based systems creates opportunities for cross-border harmonisation and shared learning between Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Saudi Arabia’s potential implementation of a similar system could benefit from the UAE’s experience, whilst addressing specific cultural and dietary preferences within the Kingdom. Such regional coordination could facilitate trade, reduce manufacturer compliance costs, and strengthen consumer education efforts across the Gulf region.
Cultural and linguistic considerations
The research identified important cultural barriers to label utilisation, with 11.1% of participants citing English-only labelling as a deterrent to nutrition information consumption. This finding emphasises the importance of Arabic language implementation in any future FoPNL system, ensuring accessibility across diverse literacy levels and age groups within Saudi society.
The study’s adaptation of international labelling formats to the Saudi context demonstrates the importance of cultural sensitivity in nutrition policy development. Future implementations should consider local reading habits, cognitive processing preferences, and culturally relevant food categories to maximise consumer engagement.
Limitations and future research directions
The researchers acknowledge certain methodological limitations that may affect result generalisation. The use of quota sampling and online survey methods may limit broader population applicability, though the large, diverse sample enhances statistical robustness. Additionally, the absence of real-life food products in the experimental design may not fully reflect actual consumer behaviour in retail environments.
Future research should incorporate real-world purchasing studies, expand geographic coverage beyond Riyadh to include rural populations, and examine long-term behavioural changes following FoPNL implementation. Investigation of consumer perceptions and subjective experiences with different labelling systems would provide valuable insights for policy development and implementation strategies.
Conclusions and recommendations
The study provides robust evidence of the markedly greater effectiveness of Nutri-Score compared to other internationally adopted front-of-pack nutrition labelling (FoPNL) systems, including among Saudi consumers. It highlights the potential to significantly enhance both the quality of food choices and nutritional understanding. The research demonstrates that interpretive labelling systems outperform numerical formats in facilitating healthier dietary decisions, with implications extending beyond immediate purchasing behaviour to enhanced nutritional literacy.
Such implementation could play a significant role in the prevention and reduction of obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), addressing key public health challenges facing the Kingdom.
The study’s findings underscore the importance of evidence-based policy development in nutrition labelling, demonstrating how rigorous experimental research can inform effective public health interventions. As Saudi Arabia continues to address rising obesity rates and dietary-related health issues, the implementation of effective front-of-pack nutrition labelling systems represents a crucial step towards promoting healthier food environments and empowering consumer choice.
Dario Dongo
Cover art copyright © 2025 Dario Dongo (AI-assisted creation)
References
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- AlQurashi, A. A., Marar, S. D., Ayyash, M., AlRawi, H. Z., & Abu-Shaheen, A. (2025). Comparing the influence of front-of-pack nutrition labels on Saudi consumers’ understanding and food selection. Frontiers in Public Health, 13, 1527531. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1527531
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Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
