Aanya Zaveri of IBDP Y12 Publishes Research on Front-of-Pack Food Labelling Among Indian Teenagers

Aanya Zaveri of IBDP Year 12 has published a peer-reviewed research study examining how teenagers respond to different front-of-pack food labelling systems. Titled “Comparing Front-of-Pack Labelling Systems to Improve Teenagers’ Food Choices,” the study was published in the June 2026 issue of World Nutrition (Vol. 17, Issue 2), the official peer-reviewed journal of the World Public Health Nutrition Association.

 

The research explores an important question in public health nutrition: how can food packaging help young people make healthier choices when they are making decisions outside structured environments such as schools?

 

Working with 120 adolescents across eight schools in Mumbai, Aanya conducted a randomised controlled experiment comparing four different labelling formats: Nutri-Score, Health Star Rating, warning labels, and a standard back-of-pack nutrition table. The findings showed a clear difference in how teenagers responded to the various formats. 80% of participants who saw a simple front-of-pack warning label selected the healthier product, compared with 33% when only the standard back-of-pack nutrition information was available. Warning labels also enabled participants to make their choices considerably faster.

 

The study draws on Dual Process Theory, which distinguishes between fast, intuitive decision-making and slower, more analytical reasoning. Aanya’s research suggests that simple front-of-pack warning labels can support healthier choices by communicating important nutritional information quickly and clearly, without requiring consumers to interpret complex nutritional tables.

 

The research is particularly relevant to India's ongoing discussion around front-of-pack nutrition labelling for foods high in fat, sugar and salt. It contributes evidence from an adolescent population—an important group that has been comparatively under-represented in existing front-of-pack labelling research.

 

 

Aanya's work has also received recognition from professionals working across public health, nutrition and food safety, including Revant Himatsingka (Food Pharmer), Dr. Shweta Khandelwal, Dr. SubbaRao M. Gavaravarapu and Dr. Arun Gupta, who have highlighted the study's relevance to India's nutrition-labelling debate.