Scale-Score: Food Label to Support Nutritious and Sustainable Online Grocery Shopping

TL;DR

This paper introduces the Scale-Score, a combined food label designed to help online grocery shoppers make healthier and more sustainable choices, with initial evidence supporting its effectiveness for nutrition but highlighting areas for sustainability improvement.

Contribution

The study presents the first insights into the design and performance of a combined nutritional and environmental food label in an online shopping context.

Findings

Supports nutritious purchases effectively

Needs improvement in sustainability support

Provides initial design insights

Abstract

To empower online grocery shoppers in making nutritionally and environmentally informed decisions, we investigate the efficacy of the Scale-Score, a label combining nutritional and environmental information to highlight a product's benefit to both the consumer's and the planet's health, without obscuring either information. We conducted an experimental study in a mock online grocery environment, and assessed label efficacy. We find that the Scale-Score supports nutritious purchases, yet needs improving regarding sustainability support. Our research shows first insights into design considerations and performance of a combined yet disjoint food label.