PACE labelling

Question 1

Energy balance

Answer 1

energy intake through food vs energy expenditure (through basal metabolism, thermogenesis, regulating body heat, PA)
intake, storage and burning varies in individuals

Question 2

Eating behaviour in young people

Answer 2

average young person consumes excess of calories from soft drinks, cakes, biscuits (Lai, Hutchinson & Evans 2019)
discretionary foods are widely available outside home and linked to unhealthy food choices and larger portions (Adams et al 2015)
childhood obesity is increasing - 40% children obese by the time they leave primary (Adams et al 2015)

Question 3

Drivers in young people

Answer 3

adolescents become able to make own decisions so eating habits established and can track into adulthood
neurocognitive (decision making) still developing so may not yet understand effects of unhealthy food
self-regulation - focus on taste, hunger, immediate sugar hit not long-term impacts
schools sell discretionary foods as source of revenue but may be important for children who have high energy expenditure or don’t have much food at home

Question 4

Nudging approach to change choices

Answer 4

change position of foods in displays, make healthier options more available, adding food labels, nutrition labelling, interventions in schools

Question 5

Traffic light label

Answer 5

in 10-17 year olds only 15% reported using them to make food choices, tends to be people already conscious of their weight (Hammond et al 2023)
doesn’t tend to have an effect on people with disordered eating as they already have ways to measure intake

Question 6

Benefits of PACE labelling

Answer 6

simple
can be targeted to different populations with online calculators
TLLs based on adult female so may not be meaningful for others
may contribute to small change approach to weight management
steers public to small decisions about eating (easier than lifestyle changes)
nudging technique to make people more active
only used on discretionary/high energy foods not meals

Question 7

Limitations of PACE labelling

Answer 7

doesn’t account for metabolism
could put people in calorie deficit as burning calories from other things during the day
may influence thinking and lead to obsessions
can lead to negative associations with certain foods as only placed on ‘treat’ foods
simplicity of design makes it harder to ignore
doesn’t account for nutritional value of food

Question 8

Evidence around PACE labelling

Answer 8

adults found it easier, more eye catching, more likely to help them avoid high calorie foods than TLLs, decreases calories compared to other/no labelling (Daley et al 2019)
secondary school age found easier to understand and make healthy choices than TLLs (Iris et al 2021)
decreased purchase of cakes/biscuits in schools, increased YP capability of food choices but depends on individual’s attitude, viewpoint, motivation and some schools pulled out due to concern from parents (Iris et al)