There’s no mystery around what consumers want — it’s to be as acutely informed as possible about what they’re buying, applying, consuming and using. The makers of the nation’s food and beverage products have not only known this but have taken steps to ensure product transparency even before the demand came from consumers.

New research from Consumer Brands shows that the industry-backed Facts up Front (FUF) tool has the information consumers want, and importantly, is recognizable among consumers, meaning they’re already relying on it for the information they need. FUF is a reliable, accessible and easy-to-use tool that puts transparency at the forefront and ensures consumers are seeing the context they need to be quickly, easily and thoroughly informed about what they’re purchasing.

Let’s look at the data: in a sampling of 2,028 U.S. adults, nine in 10 — 90% — said they are aware of the FUF label. Not only are they aware of it, but nearly eight in 10 (79%) said they check the label. Further, more than half — 61% — of respondents said they have previously used FUF to inform their purchasing decisions and 54% said the Nutritional Facts label is the most important consideration when buying a food or beverage product for the first time. Facts up Front, then, goes a step further by providing consumers with a snapshot of the nutritional information they said are the most important to them, giving them on-the-spot information before they even check the back label.

American adults ranked calories (60%), total Sugars (58%) and sodium (56%) as the top three most essential nutritional information when evaluating a product for its healthfulness — all of which can be found on the front of a package that uses the FUF label.

The data reflects a few realities:

1. Extensive recognition of the FUF label;
2. A clear, active engagement at the point of sale with the FUF label; and
3. Strong, practical adoption.

Facts up Front is a critical transparency initiative that aims to equip consumers with the information they need before even flipping over a package — and 76% of respondents said they think FUF has just the right amount of information, and another 78% said they believe it effectively conveys the healthfulness of packaged products. Moreover, 77% said they are likely to check caloric information before deciding to make a purchase; another 73% feel it’s important to see each nutrient displayed on the FUF label before making a purchase.

An integral facet of the industry’s efforts toward ongoing transparency is to maintain the trust companies have worked for decades to earn with consumers, particularly since no industry is closer to the consumer and a more essential part of every day. And when 75% of American adults said they trust the nutritional information provided by the FUF label and another 76% said they are satisfied with the content and the presentation of the label.

This research underscores that the work the industry has long been doing to provide transparent, accessible information to consumers is not only meeting them where they are but continues to anticipate their evolving needs through programs like FUF and the industry-backed digital disclosure tool, Consumer Brands’ SmartLabel.

As consumers want more information than can fit on the label, SmartLabel an industry-adopted digital tool that has, for the last decade, served as a complement to FUF and the Nutrition Facts label, offering consumers information from ingredients to allergens to recycling information and more with the scan of a QR code (that is also on the product packaging), accessible as either an app or with any smartphone camera.

Our readiness to work with the FDA and across federal health agencies to inform, empower and support consumers hasn’t wavered, and armed with the reality that consumers are in fact using and valuing Facts up Front as it stands shows this is the clear path moving forward to keep the accessible, pertinent, up-to-date information they crave at their fingertips. Facts up Front and SmartLabel, taken together, demonstrate the industry’s unparalleled dedication to providing greater transparency to consumers.

ABOUT THE RESEARCH

Independent market research group Savanta conducted the research on behalf of the Consumer Brands Association and FMI. The study consisted of an online survey fielded in May 2025 with a nationally representative sample of more than 2,000 American adults aged 18 and older. Survey participants were comprised of a census balanced sample of ethnicity, gender, income and U.S. region. The study’s objective was to evaluate consumer awareness, usage, and perceptions of the Facts up Front label.