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The front-of-pack nutrition label (FoPL) scheme was determined to be the ‘most effective’ for Saudi consumers, in a new study led by researchers at King Fahad Medical City and Universiti Sains Malaysia.
The findings, based on a year-long trial involving more than 2,500 adults in Riyadh, suggest that Nutri-Score’s color-coded design provides clearer nutritional guidance than numerical or warning-based alternatives, helping participants make healthier food choices across a variety of product categories.
The researchers noted that Nutri-Score consistently helped participants identify healthier products and make better choices. It proved more intuitive than other systems, especially for food categories common in Saudi households.
Rising health concerns place focus on labelling clarityThe study comes at a time when Saudi Arabia faces escalating rates of obesity and diet-related disease. National surveys show that almost one in four Saudi adults is obese, while more than 80% exceed the country’s recommended daily fat intake.
Dietary patterns dominated by processed and packaged foods have been linked to higher rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and childhood obesity.
While the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) has introduced calorie labelling in restaurants, a standardised system for packaged foods has yet to be implemented.
As food labels are often too complex for the average consumer, front-of-pack systems may offer a simpler way to convey nutritional quality and influence dietary behaviour at scale.
Study design and methodologyBetween January 2022 and January 2023, researchers recruited 2,509 Saudi men and women aged 18 and above from public spaces in Riyadh. Participants were asked to select and rank products in five food categories — bread, cheese, cereals, chicken nuggets, and juice.
They completed the task twice: first with no labels, and then with one of five randomly assigned FoPLs. The systems tested represented a cross-section of global approaches:
Nutri-Score (NS), a five-colour scale ranging from green (A) to orange (E) that summarises overall nutritional quality.Multiple Traffic Lights (MTL) — red, amber or green markers for fat, sugar, salt and other nutrients.Guideline Daily Amount (GDA) — numerical values showing calories and nutrient levels relative to daily intake.Health Star Rating (HSR), a half-to-five-star scale reflecting overall healthiness.Chilean Warning Octagons (CWO) — black symbols flagging high levels of sugar, fat, salt, or calories.Researchers then analysed whether each FoPL improved the accuracy of product ranking and the likelihood of choosing healthier options.
Nutri-Score leads in both choice and understandingAll five systems improved consumer decision-making compared to no labels, but Nutri-Score delivered the most significant gains. This was due largely to its summary format that reduced the effort required to process information, with its colour-coding making it easier for shoppers to quickly identify better options.
Participants exposed to Nutri-Score were nearly twice as likely to select healthier products compared to those using GDA. The strongest improvements were seen in cereal and chicken nugget categories, where healthier choices more than doubled.
In terms of comprehension, Nutri-Score also showed the greatest impact. Participants using the system were almost six times more likely to correctly rank products by healthiness compared to those with no labels.
By contrast, GDA — the most information-heavy format — had the weakest performance.
Demographics shape effectivenessThe study also found that education, income, and prior nutrition knowledge influenced how effective labels were in driving healthier choices.
Participants with higher education or better diet quality showed greater improvements, while younger and lower-income groups benefited less from the labels.
Awareness gaps remained widespread: 22% of participants reported no knowledge of food labels, while one-third were unaware of daily calorie requirements.
This indicated that labels were only part of the solution, and the study’s authors noted that education campaigns must accompany any labelling policy to ensure consumers can understand and apply the information effectively.
Policy implications for Saudi ArabiaThe researchers recommend that Saudi policymakers adopt Nutri-Score as a national standard. Its proven effectiveness in the trial, combined with successful rollouts in France, Germany and Belgium, has positioned it as a strong candidate within the Saudi context.
In light of the pressing public health challenges Saudi Arabia faces, introducing Nutri-Score could support healthier food environments and reduce the long-term burden on the health system.
Beyond consumer guidance, the adoption of Nutri-Score could also drive product reformulation. Food manufacturers often adjust recipes to secure better scores, thereby improving the nutritional profile of packaged foods available on the market.
Industry implicationsFor manufacturers and suppliers, a potential shift toward Nutri-Score would bring both opportunities and challenges. Companies may need to reformulate products to achieve more favourable scores or highlight attributes, such as fibre and protein, that influence rankings.
Retailers could also play a role by promoting higher-rated products through shelf placement, in-store campaigns, and digital marketing.
Industry stakeholders are expected to watch policy discussions closely. If adopted, Nutri-Score could align Saudi Arabia with international labelling best practices and potentially influence other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries considering similar measures.
Source: Frontiers in Public Health
“Comparing the influence of front-of-pack nutrition labels on Saudi consumers’ understanding and food selection”
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1527531
Authors: Alaa Ashraf AlQurashi, et al.
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