Supermarket Sleuths: Detail on product labels changing the way you shop

Supermarkets are more than just the places we shop for food. They are experiences, filled with sights and sounds and smells and if you're lucky, flavours courtesy of product samples.

I love grocery shopping and like to take my time perusing the aisles and buying everything I need for the week, as well as other products that catch my eye, within a budget of course.

It was during a recent trip to my local supermarket with my partner Shamus that we noticed one of our favourite products had a new inclusion on it's labelling.

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Edgell products are now sporting phrases such as "Plant Protein Power."

We began looking for other products with similar label inclusions and there were so many including this noodle product featured a blue badge explaining CANSTAR BLUE deemed its customers "most satisfied" in 2022.

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Shapes labelling explained they are "oven baked not fried" and "foil wrapped for freshness."

While we had our own ideas about why these label inclusions worked, I decided to reached out to consumer experts to explain how these label inclusions work.

"When in a supermarket, and doing routine and familiar tasks we rely a lot on our auto-pilot brain," Consumer Psychologist and Thinkerbell founder Adam Ferrier told 9Honey. "So we tend to look for clear signs and symbols that make shopping easier."

Ferrier explained that labels and other call-outs are short cuts to the brain that say "pick me".

"I don't think people look at these things long enough for them to process what the labels actually mean - they are just a promise of overall goodness," he continues. "Medals on wine labels work in much the same way. 'It has a medal therefore it must be good.'

"In short the brain seeks signs and symbols to make shopping easier, and brands' call-outs like these appeal to that busy over-worked part of the brain," he adds.

Consumer Psychologist, Behaviouralist and Brand Strategist Peter Resanceff says we are starting to see more processed and packaged goods in supermarkets aligning themselves with plant-based health, nutrition and well-being."

"The burden, as always, lies with consumers to educate themselves to take care not to take such claims at face-value," he explains. "To view such claims with caution and question the motivation of the manufacturer in making such claims."

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This is something we try and keep in mind during our weekly grocery shop.

The bottom line is that many of these products aren't much different aside from the packaging, but then there are those products that are vastly different.

The most savvy way we find to stick to our grocery budget is to spend time making the best choice for us and that means balancing what we need, what the healthiest choices are and, of course, cost.

The information provided on this website is general in nature only and does not constitute personal financial advice. The information has been prepared without taking into account your personal objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on any information on this website you should consider the appropriateness of the information having regard to your objectives, financial situation and needs.