Econ Papers Daily / 期刊论文
信息框架与营养成分标签份量变更的影响
Information framing and the impact of nutrition label serving size change
摘要
The framing of information can significantly influence how consumers interpret and respond to it. This paper investigates how the change in serving sizes in Nutrition Facts Panel (NFP) affects consumer choices for carbonated soft drinks (CSD). We first estimate a reduced form difference‐in‐differences (DiD) model to document causal effects on purchasing behavior. We then develop and estimate an equilibrium structural model of both consumer demand and firms' pricing and nutritional choices. Our results show that larger labeled serving sizes significantly reduced demand for regular CSDs, leading to a decline in the average amount of nutrients sold. Counterfactual simulations indicate that larger serving size adjustments (e.g., 16 oz, 24 oz, or whole bottle) would amplify these effects, while firms would partially offset demand losses through subtle calorie, sodium, and caffeine reductions. These findings suggest that strategic serving size adjustments and product reformulations from food manufacturers may support healthier consumer choices. Our welfare analysis shows that sufficiently aggressive serving size adjustments can dominate soda tax at low to moderate values of the marginal value of public funds, delivering comparable reductions in nutrient purchases without the regressive price burden that excise taxes impose on lower‐income consumers.
中文摘要
信息的呈现方式能够显著影响消费者的理解与反应。本文研究营养成分标签（NFP）中每份规格的变化如何影响消费者对碳酸软饮料（CSD）的选择。我们首先估计一个简约式双重差分（DiD）模型，以记录其对购买行为的因果效应。随后，我们构建并估计一个同时刻画消费者需求与企业定价及营养选择的均衡结构模型。结果表明，更大的标注每份规格显著降低了常规CSD的需求，导致所售营养素平均含量下降。反事实模拟表明，更大的每份规格调整（如16盎司、24盎司或整瓶）会放大这些效应，而企业会通过细微减少热量、钠和咖啡因来部分抵消需求损失。这些发现表明，食品制造商策略性的每份规格调整与产品配方调整可能有助于促进更健康的消费者选择。我们的福利分析表明，在公共资金边际价值处于低至中等水平时，足够激进的每份规格调整可以优于汽水税，在实现可比营养素购买量下降的同时，不产生消费税对低收入消费者造成的累退性价格负担。