Chen Jing, Fan Yixuan, Zhang Manlu, Wu Shuhuan, Li Huiyan
School of Psychology, Beijing Sport University, Beijing 100084, China.
Nutr Rev. 2024 Feb 12;82(3):374-388. doi: 10.1093/nutrit/nuad060.
Front-of-package (FOP) labels have been adopted in many countries to battle the obesity pandemic and its serious health consequences by providing clearer and easier-to-understand nutrition and health information. The effectiveness of FOP labels has been generally confirmed, with some contextual and individual factors modifying their effectiveness. Existing theories (eg, the dual-process theory) and shifting priorities for self-control, provide some explanations for the FOP label effect. However, the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying the processing of FOP labels remain unknown. Here, a new model, namely, the neural model of FOP label processing, has been proposed to fill this gap by providing an integrated account of FOP label processing while simultaneously considering multiple important situational and individual factors in the same framework. This neural model is built on the core eating network (ie, the ventral reward pathway and the dorsal control pathway) for food cue processing and actual food consumption. The new model explains how FOP labels may facilitate attention, influence the core eating network, and thus alter food choices. It also demonstrates how motivation may modify FOP label processing in 2 ways: affecting attention (the indirect way) and changing the process of evaluating the food (the direct way). It further explains how some contextual and individual factors (eg, ego depletion, time pressure, and health knowledge) influence the process. Thus, the neural model integrates evidence from behavioral, eye-tracking, and neuroimaging studies into a single, integrated account, deepening understanding of the cognitive and neural mechanisms of FOP label processing. This model might facilitate consensus on the most successful FOP label. Moreover, it could provide insights for consumers, food industries, and policy makers and encourage healthy eating behaviors.
许多国家已采用包装正面（FOP）标签，通过提供更清晰、易懂的营养与健康信息，来应对肥胖流行及其严重的健康后果。FOP标签的有效性已得到普遍证实，不过一些背景和个体因素会改变其效果。现有的理论（如双加工理论）以及自我控制优先级的变化，为FOP标签效应提供了一些解释。然而，FOP标签处理背后的认知和神经机制仍不清楚。在此，提出了一种新模型，即FOP标签处理神经模型，以填补这一空白，该模型在同一框架内同时考虑多个重要的情境和个体因素，对FOP标签处理进行了综合阐述。这个神经模型建立在用于食物线索处理和实际食物消费的核心饮食网络（即腹侧奖赏通路和背侧控制通路）之上。新模型解释了FOP标签如何促进注意力、影响核心饮食网络，进而改变食物选择。它还展示了动机如何通过两种方式改变FOP标签处理：影响注意力（间接方式）和改变食物评估过程（直接方式）。它进一步解释了一些背景和个体因素（如自我损耗、时间压力和健康知识）如何影响这一过程。因此，该神经模型将行为、眼动追踪和神经成像研究的证据整合为一个单一的综合阐述，加深了对FOP标签处理认知和神经机制的理解。这个模型可能有助于就最成功的FOP标签达成共识。此外，它可以为消费者、食品行业和政策制定者提供见解，并鼓励健康的饮食行为。
