Exploring global consumer attitudes toward nutrition information on food labels

Wills, Josephine; Schmidt, David B.; Pillo-Blocka, Francy; Cairns, Georgina

doi:10.1111/j.1753-4887.2009.00170.x

Cited by 87 publications

(85 citation statements)

References 1 publication

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…In addition, although the response rates have remained reasonably high over the years in our study, a decrease in response rates is of concern since it reduces the representativeness of the results and may limit comparability of the results between population groups as the non-respondents' characteristics may change over the years (23) . In accordance with other studies (24) , our findings refer to consumer interest in receiving nutrition information on food packages. However, conclusions cannot be drawn on how widely the Heart Symbol is used in shopping situations or on its effects on consumers' dietary pattern.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Awareness and use of the Heart Symbol by Finnish consumers

Lahti-Koski

Helakorpi

Olli

et al. 2011

Public Health Nutr.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: To study the awareness of the Heart Symbol in different age and educational groups, and changes in the awareness over a 9-year period. In addition, the reported use of products with the symbol was examined. Design: A series of annual cross-sectional postal surveys on Health Behaviour and Health among the Finnish Adult Population. Setting: A random sample (n 5000 per annum) from the Finnish population aged 15-64 years, drawn from the National Population Register, received a questionnaire. Subjects: Men and women (n 29 378) participating in the surveys in [2000][2001][2002][2003][2004][2005][2006][2007][2008][2009]. Results: At the early 2000s, 48 % of men and 73 % of women reported to be familiar with the symbol. The corresponding rates were 66 % for men and 91 % for women in 2009. The reported use of products with the symbol increased from 29 % to 52 % in men and from 40 % to 72 % in women. In men, the awareness did not vary by age, whereas older women (45-64 years) were less likely to be aware of the symbol compared with younger women (25-34 years). Men and women with the highest education were best aware of the symbol and more likely to use the products in the early 2000s. The educational differences diminished or disappeared during the study period. Conclusions: The majority of Finnish adults are familiar with the Heart Symbol, and the reported use of such products increased in all age and educational groups, especially among the less educated. The symbol may work as an effective measure to diminish nutrition-related health inequalities.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Awareness and use of the Heart Symbol by Finnish consumers

Lahti-Koski

Helakorpi

Olli

et al. 2011

Public Health Nutr.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Consumers have indicated that they prefer this type of format as it simplifies the nutrition information, although consumers differ in their liking of the various formats. 67,68 Well recognised health endorsement logos may be particularly effective. In general, simplified labels have been shown to promote more accurate nutrition judgements.…”

Section: 52-54mentioning

confidence: 99%

Food and nutrition labelling: the past, present and the way forward

Koen

Blaauw

Wentzel-Viljoen

2016

South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Current global mortality from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) remains unacceptably high and is increasing. A major reduction in the burden of NCDs should come from population-wide interventions, including the promotion of a healthy diet through the provision of adequate nutrition information on food labels. However, in order for this type of intervention to be successful, it is important to have a better understanding of the consumer. This review focuses on the need for food and nutrition labelling (the section of information on a food label that specifically declares nutrient content) within the context of NCDs, as well as consumer nutrition label use, and understanding and the impact of nutrition labelling on purchasing behaviour. It provides a summary of the latest global nutrition labelling trends, the current situation in South Africa and the way forward. Consumer knowledge, use and understanding of nutrition labelling has been investigated extensively in the international literature. However, the majority of these investigations were conducted in developed countries. Therefore, additional research on the impact of nutrition labelling in developing countries is necessary, and should be a priority. There have been many developments in South Africa in terms of food and nutrition labelling in the last decade. Although the food industry, health professionals and consumers face many changes, challenges and opportunities with regard to food, and specifically to nutrition labelling, this is also the ideal time to promote the use and understanding of nutrition information on labels by health professionals to consumers.

show abstract

“…The survey's questionnaire was developed by the authors of the current article, supported by information obtained from European surveys on food labels and their penetration and impact [5,9]. Data were collected on basic demographic characteristics; obesity-related perceptions; family composition, size, and presence of children; education; and yearly income.…”

Section: Survey Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The variety of choices regarding label format matched with consumers' habits in food selection has resulted in no convincing evidence that food labels are an effective means to achieve the desired effect at the population level; that is, a reduction or at least truncation of current prevalence rates in diet-related disorders, although there is general agreement on the potential benefits of food labels in helping consumers to make informed dietary choices adapted to their individual needs [1,3,5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Is the Value Given by Consumers to Nutritional Label Information? Results from a Large Investigation in Europe

Gregori

Ballali

Vögele

et al. 2015

Journal of the American College of Nutrition

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Rationale: Nutrition labels on prepackaged foods have been widely advocated as a medium to foster healthier eating habits in the general population.Objective: The study is aimed at understanding how people value nutritional information on food labels, in particular for front-of-pack labeling.Methods: A phone-assisted survey of 7550 consumers in 16 European countries was conducted. People were asked about their opinion on nutritional information provided at different levels, from the media to public institutions, and their commitment to healthy behavior. The value of pack labeling was estimated using a willingness-to-pay (WTP) elicitation technique.Results: Older age groups (>45 years old), members of a larger family, people of low income or low education, and those who perceived themselves to be obese valued front-of-pack nutritional labeling. WTP estimates across all countries provided an average accepted added price of $4.32 to the overall yearly food expenditure (95% confidence interval, 3.33-3.68).Conclusions: Overall, perceived value of labeling is low. However, factors affecting the value for consumer of nutritional labeling appear to be strictly linked to the socioeconomic and health status of the respondents.

show abstract

Exploring global consumer attitudes toward nutrition information on food labels

Cited by 87 publications

References 1 publication

Awareness and use of the Heart Symbol by Finnish consumers

Awareness and use of the Heart Symbol by Finnish consumers

Food and nutrition labelling: the past, present and the way forward

What Is the Value Given by Consumers to Nutritional Label Information? Results from a Large Investigation in Europe

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About