Human Factor in Food Label Design to Support Consumer Healthcare and Safety: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Labels play a strategic role in communication, representing the interface between consumers and the food system. Consumers’ ability to correctly understand product label information was essential for health and safety, making a sustainable choice, as also demonstrated by the Federal Regulations of USA, which define several guidelines to increase the readability of labels. Human Factor studies the interface design in order to assure users’ safety, comfort, and productiveness. So, it could be applied in label design to enhance consumers’ safeguard and healthcare. The aim of this study is to analyze the fields of application of the Human Factor in label design to evaluate the current methods of utilization in the food industry. A two-step literature review was applied, using bibliometric and content analysis. From bibliometric analysis, 6 clusters of themes and the predominance of medical terms arose. The absence of terms related to the food domain is surprising. So, a content analysis on lead papers’ sample related to the Food Industry was carried out to identify evidence about the human factor in food label design. From content analysis, 2 groups of works’ results, focused on the possibility to consider the human factor in: i) pharmaceutical label design, ii) food label design, respectively. The studies in food label design primarily focused on label readability related to content positioning and not on its understandability. The practical implications of the study include the construction of a new concept of label in terms of contents and communication channels.

Knowledge of Dietary Supplements among Women in the Aseer Region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

“…This also corroborates the findings of several other publications [34]. Short, simple, and concise information on the product packaging would help consumers to avoid excessive nutritional intake [21,31]. A high percentage of this study's respondents noted that supplements should only be taken during periods of illness in order to improve their health.…”

“…Recently, there is a growing need for consumers to be provided with detailed and accurate information on food ingredients due to dietary restrictions, allergies, and drug interactions [21]. Up to 98,000 people die every year as a result of preventable medical errors, including ingesting the wrong medications, which indicates that reducing human error in healthcare still remains a significant concern [21].…”

“…It has also been found that the taste and cost of the product play a more significant role in influencing consumer food choices than the product's health benefits [22]. Hence, consumers' ability to understand the information presented on food packaging is important in increasing health and safety knowledge [21]. It can also allow them to make informed choices based on sustainability, personal principles, and values [21].…”

“…Hence, consumers' ability to understand the information presented on food packaging is important in increasing health and safety knowledge [21]. It can also allow them to make informed choices based on sustainability, personal principles, and values [21]. Consumers typically prefer to read short and concise nutritional information about food products and supplements, which does not contain any scientific terminology [22].…”

The Influence of Health Messages in Nudging Consumption of Whole Grain Pasta

“…From a marketing perspective, our findings underscore the role of communicating the content and benefits of a food product in an effective and easy-to-read way (e.g., claim related to health benefits) [61]. This approach could be taken into consideration by different stakeholders, including food companies, which can use labels on products to communicate the health benefits of food to consumers [62].…”