Consumer Attitudes Toward Food and Nutritional Labeling: Implications for Policymakers and Practitioners on a National Level

Gomes, Sandra; Nogueira, Mafalda; Ferreira, Mafalda; Gregório, Maria João; Graça, Pedro; Jewell, Jo; Breda, João

doi:10.1080/10454446.2020.1802381

Cited by 13 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…As previously observed in other studies, it was found that female consumers consult and use food labels more as a group when compared to male consumers [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

“…However, despite these being the nutritional information most sought after by consumers, it was possible to analyze that more than half of the sample could not identify the recommended consumption values of salt and sugar recommended by the WHO. This fact demonstrates that the consumer is unaware of the salt and sugar content of commonly consumed food since the consumption of sugar and salt in Portugal is far above the limit recommended by the WHO, as observed in another study [ 21 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

“…The questionnaire, written in Portuguese, was organized into three sections and 34 questions (two closed-ended Likert-type scale questions of agreement, twenty-seven multiple-choice questions, one group of true-false questions, and four open-ended questions). It was developed after reviewing the relevant literature used in previous studies related to general food labeling [ 20 , 21 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Perception of Portuguese Consumers Regarding Food Labeling

et al. 2022

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Food labels are the first information tool used by consumers in the purchase and consumption of food products. Food labeling is a tool that can influence the consumers’ perception of quality and, in turn, their food choice. This study characterizes and demonstrates the importance of labeling and the degree of consumers’ perception and literacy about food labels through the application of an online questionnaire. The results obtained, in a sample of n = 467, showed that Portuguese consumers have the habit of reading the label and recognizing its importance but do not understand all the information contained in the label. They have an easier time understanding the front-of-pack labeling systems, especially those presented through symbols/colors. Thus, it demonstrates the need for greater education and literacy in the areas of food and nutrition so that through the reading and interpretation of labels, consumers can make informed food choices.

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“…As previously observed in other studies, it was found that female consumers consult and use food labels more as a group when compared to male consumers [ 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Perception of Portuguese Consumers Regarding Food Labeling

et al. 2022

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“…A comparative analysis of the positive survey answers between those professionals' who suggested and those who did not suggest in the open-ended question Since December 2014, the implementation of the mandatory nutritional information by the FIC regulation showed that there is no relevant data that allows the evaluation of the usefulness and relevance of it in the back-of-pack (25,27). The previous studies before the implementation of the regulation raised a series of needs, expectations and uses regarding the information available to the consumers (28)(29)(30). It was assumed that having unanimous information would be difficult, but the commitment would be to simply the information considered most important on a first phase.…”

Section: Discussion Of Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutrition labelling on prepacked foods: opinion and suggestions of Portuguese food and nutrition professionals

2021

Acta Port Nutr

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INTRODUCTION:Labelling is an important tool for food and nutrition professionals since it provides information on food safety and nutrition. OBJECTIVES: The aim was to analyse the differences in food and nutrition professionals' opinions regarding nutrition labelling on prepacked foods. METHODOLOGY:A cross-sectional study was conducted, using a non-probabilistic sample of professionals, by contacting several Portuguese entities in food and nutrition. The eligibility criteria included being 18 years old and over, living and working in Portugal, and having a professional activity in this area. An online self-administered survey was developed, including questions about labelling (importance, reading, use, trust, satisfaction, and influence in food choices). The main changes in the European Union labelling rules about the content, presentation and legibility of the mandatory information were analysed. The present paper focuses on the answers to the open-ended question on suggestions to improve nutrition labelling. RESULTS:From the 297 participants, 33 (11.1%) provided answers to the open-ended question, which were subsequently grouped into six categories. These professionals demonstrated the least satisfaction with the label information namely the specific technical terms, the quantity of information, the symbols used and the nutritional claims. They showed the least agreement with the presentation and content of the nutrition information, implemented by Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011. Two improvements were proposed: the simplification of the labelling information and the understanding of its usefulness as it is currently presented, to provide perceptible and useful information to the consumer. CONCLUSIONS:Nutrition labelling educational tools should be developed, in order to promote nutrition literacy and lead to consumer's empowerment.

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“…Labels are considered the main communication between the food industry and consumers (Uribe et al, 2020). The inclusion of health claims or warnings in the front panel of the label exemplifies some communication strategies, informing the consumer about product characteristics (Nobrega et al, 2020;Gomes et al, 2020;Uribe et al, 2020). Several previous studies evaluated the impact of healthy claims on the consumer's perception.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perception and preferences of processed sweet foods: differences between diabetic and nondiabetic consumers

Soares

Honorio

Lima

et al. 2021

NFS

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Purpose This paper aims to study how diabetics/pre-diabetics (D) and non-diabetic (regular consumers of sweeteners (C) or not (NC)) perceive and consume sweetened processed food in Brazil. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional study (n = 2,204) was carried out to gather information about: consumption of 14 sweetened food/beverage categories, perception of sugar/sweeteners (check-all-that-apply (CATA) test), understanding of sugar claims and socioeconomic/demographic/consume profile. Chi-square test/Fisher exact tests were used to analyze the contingency tables. CATA test results were evaluated using Cochran Q test, RV coefficient and Kruskal-Wallis test. Findings Results revealed that although diabetics/pre-diabetics consumed less sugary products than non-diabetics (p < 0.001), >50.0% of them preferred sugary candies, bakeries, ready-to-drink fruit juice, ice cream, chocolate and ready-to-eat desserts. D, NC and C similarly perceived (RV = 0.99) sugar (sensory desirable, but penalized due to its health impact), naturally extracted sweeteners (opposite description of sugar) and chemically synthesized sweeteners (penalized by sensory and health impacts). Regarding the claims, those that mean the absence of sugar were correctly understood for = 90.0% participants, while incorrect interpretations were observed for “containing sugars from own ingredients” (42.7%) and “light on sugar” (21.0%), without differences between consumer groups (p = 0.93). Research limitations/implications This study was carried out with a convenience sample. Practical implications Results can be applied to support food policies and educational campaigns (improving consumer information on processed sweetened foods) and to guide product development in the food industry. Originality/value This is the first study to evaluate the Brazilians’ behavior regarding the perception of sugar and sweeteners, the choice of different sweetened processed food, and understanding of sugar claims.

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Consumer Attitudes Toward Food and Nutritional Labeling: Implications for Policymakers and Practitioners on a National Level

Cited by 13 publications

References 38 publications

Perception of Portuguese Consumers Regarding Food Labeling

Perception of Portuguese Consumers Regarding Food Labeling

Nutrition labelling on prepacked foods: opinion and suggestions of Portuguese food and nutrition professionals

Perception and preferences of processed sweet foods: differences between diabetic and nondiabetic consumers

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