Objective: To identify the information that adult consumers use on food labels, the difficulties they experience when using food labels and their reasons for not always using food labels. The relationship between their understanding of the information on the food label and their ability to make informed food choices was also investigated by means of their being required to perform labelling tasks. Design: A cross-sectional and descriptive research approach was followed. Data were collected by means of the administration of questionnaires. Setting: Selected supermarkets in Potchefstroom and Klerksdorp in the North West Province, South Africa. Subjects: Questionnaires were administered to 174 consumers of African descent and Caucasians, $18 years of age, who were involved in purchasing household food products. Results: The information that is mostly used on food labels includes the expiry date, the list of ingredients and nutritional information, such as fat and cholesterol content. The difficulties associated with food labels were indicated mainly as being the font size of the print, whereas the reasons for not reading food labels were related to product attributes ('taste and price are more important than is the nutritional content of the food product'), demographic characteristics ('lack of education and nutritional knowledge') and situational factors ('experiencing time constraints'). Conclusions:Results from the present study indicated that the expiry date was the most important information on a food label used by consumers. Scores from the labelling tasks showed that the respondents did not always understand how to use the information on food labels in order to make informed food choices. Barriers to consumer understanding and the use of food labels are highlighted. Improvements on current food labels in South Africa are suggested. Guidelines for consumer education regarding the use of food labels are also provided. Keywords Food label Understanding UseSouth Africa is a country that is characterised by a wide diversity of cultures and a vast range of public health issues. Such health issues are associated with infectious and chronic diseases, rapid urbanisation, lifestyle factors and the adoption of a Western type of diet (1,2) . Furthermore, many South Africans do not know how to choose the right type and quantities of food to satisfy their nutritional requirements (3) . Therefore, there is a need to help South African consumers make better food choices during food purchasing.The food label forms an integral part of the consumers' decision-making processes, as it provides nutritional information that could assist them in making healthy food choices (2,4) . Prior exposure to food labels also limits consumers' information searching and consequently saves them time during food purchase (5) . Previous research has found that consumers tend to read the information that is supplied on food labels without really understanding it, which limits the effective use of food labels (6) . At present, although food...

Consumers' lifestyle changes and striving towards better time management have resulted in the greater choice they are offered with regard to store formats. Therefore, this study was undertaken to identify the factors that influence consumers in their patronage of a particular store format and to categorize department and specialist food store consumers according to their preferences in store layout and product range in a South African context. A qualitative research approach was used and data were collected using semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions. Purposive sampling recruited participants shopping for food in a department store in Johannesburg. Forty semi-structured interviews were conducted before data saturation was reached. Store-related factors such as store location, appearance and hygiene, service quality, convenience of trading hours, and consistency in store layout predominantly influenced participants in their patronage of a specific store format. Furthermore, product-related factors such as quality, price, product range and convenient packaging enhanced consumers' store preference. Department store consumers were orientated towards one-stop shopping and time-saving strategies, while specialist food consumers were focused on food shopping and the trading hours of the store. Although similarities in participants' preferences with regard to department and specialist food store were found, different preferences were found regarding the placement of specific items within the store. Participants had similar preferences regarding the product range of a food store. However, department store participants emphasized the provision of convenience food and non-food items. The findings of this study are valuable in providing department and specialist food store retailers with guideline recommendations regarding store layout and product range in order to effectively respond to the needs and preferences of consumers within an emerging economy.