South African adult metropolitan consumers' opinions and use of health information on food labels

Abstract

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The globally recognised link between diet and health needs to be communicated to consumers to facilitate healthy food choices. Thus, this paper aims to determine South African (SA) metropolitan consumers' opinions and beliefs about the food-health link, as well as their opinions and use of health information on food labels. Design/methodology/approach -A cross-sectional study using fieldworker-administered questionnaires was conducted. Using stratified randomised sampling, 1,997 respondents were recruited. The data were weighted to represent the metropolitan SA adult population (n ¼ 10,695,000). Findings -Practically significantly more respondents agreed than disagreed there is a food-health link and that health messages on food labels are supported by scientific research. Respondents' opinions on health information on food labels were mostly positive, as confirmed by the average opinions for the different ethnic groups. The results identified a lack of interest, time and price concerns, and habitual purchasing as reasons for not reading food labels. Health-concerned respondents also considered labels as important health information sources. Practical implications -Consumer education on the food-health link and the use of health information on food labels should address the deficiencies identified through the opinions and use of food labels by these respondents. Originality/value -Representative results of SA metropolitan consumers in this study are significant since third world countries are burdened by various diseases and former studies only used limited-sized non-probability samples which could not be generalised.

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

“…4,34,35 However, it was found in a recent survey conducted by Van der Colff et al in Gauteng that the 279 consumers included in this study were generally dissatisfied with label attributes, including the believability, readability, comprehensibility and adequacy of food labels, as well as the primary information provided on the label. This included the expiry date, allergens, nutrition and health information, the ingredient list and quality guarantees.…”

“…This included the expiry date, allergens, nutrition and health information, the ingredient list and quality guarantees. 36 Bosman et al 35 conducted an investigation into nutrition labelling in South Africa, and this was the largest study to date since the publication of regulations relating to the labelling and advertising of foodstuffs (R146/2010). The study was conducted in nine metropolitan areas of South Africa on 1997 consumers by means of an interviewer-administered survey consisting of demographic information and 21 Likert scales on consumer use and opinions of nutrition information on food labels.…”

“…The study was part of a larger project and was representative of both genders and the four main ethnic groups within the South African population. 35 South African consumers read nutrition information on food labels to some extent, and were able to locate it. 34 However, some indicated that they were unsure of their understanding of the information provided.…”

“…38 Therefore, it seems that with the proper education of consumers by health professionals and educational programmes on the importance of nutrition labelling, as well as the reading and understanding of food labels, consumers may be more willing and capable of making healthier food choices. Consumers who indicated that they did not read labels identified a lack of interest, time, price concerns 35 and habitual purchasing 37 as the main reasons. Some consumers have also indicated that they regard the taste of a product as being more important than its nutritional content.…”

“…Bosman et al conducted a national study to determine consumers' use and opinions on nutrition labelling. 35 However, a comprehensive investigation, in which quantitative and qualitative techniques are employed, is necessary to fully understand the complexity of nutrition label knowledge, its use and understanding within different socio-economic and ethnic groups, and its impact on purchasing behaviour. Reasons for non-label use, as well as factors that may influence those that do not read label information to purchase more healthy food products should also be explored.…”