Health labels are a turn off for sugary drinks

And people are more likely to choose healthier options if there is a health star rating displayed on beverages – such as the front-of-pack labelling system used Australia and New Zealand.

Sweetened drinks are a major source of added sugar in the diet and there is growing concern about the health effects linked with high consumption such as type 2 diabetes, tooth decay, and cardiovascular disease.

Many harmful products already carry warnings. Whether or not sugar-sweetened drinks should also display warning labels is hotly debated, and which labels might have the greatest impact is unclear.

To investigate this further, Professor Anna Peeters from Australia's Deakin University and colleagues conducted an online choice experiment to examine the drink choices of almost 1000 Australians aged 18-35 years.