Consumer awareness of the use of food labels in Lagos state, Nigeria

Abstract

The increase in relative level of education and the growing middle-class income earners in Nigeria have made packaged food items attractive to consumers. These foods provide handy, nutritious and convenient food for consumers; however, they also come with public health concerns. From a policy perspective, food labelling can gauge consumers' response to the safety conditions of packaged food. However, understanding consumers' awareness and the use of food label information has attracted little research attention in many developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa. In this study, we investigated consumers' awareness of the use of food safety labels in Lagos state, Nigeria. We used primary data collected using pretested structured questionnaire from 220 food shoppers who bought pre-packaged foods. A two-stage sampling technique was used to select the respondents. Consumers' awareness and use of food safety information was revealed using descriptive statistics; Ordinal Regression Analysis was used to examine the socioeconomic factors determining the frequency of reading food safety labels. We found evidence of the influence of socioeconomic characteristics on how consumers read food labels. The study therefore recommends that there should be continuous awareness campaigns on the importance of food labels in ensuring safety and food producers should make sure their food labels are legible.

Knowledge and perception of secondary students on food labels and safe nutrition in Kwara state, Nigeria

“…This is in consonance with the proposition by Adesina et al (2022), UNICEF (2019), and Contento (2007) emphasising the need for educational curriculum for students particularly school children.…”

Food values influencing consumers' decisions in a sub-Saharan African country

“…It is home to virtually all of Nigeria's ethnic groups, has the highest literacy level in Nigeria, and remains the focal point of Nigeria's economic and social development because of its sea and airports. In addition, it also spends the most on most non-food commodities, such as rent, fuel and lighting, household items and transportation, reflecting the high purchasing power of its population (Danilola et al. , 2019).…”

“…It is home to virtually all of Nigeria's ethnic groups, has the highest literacy level in Nigeria, and remains the focal point of Nigeria's economic and social development because of its sea and airports. In addition, it also spends the most on most non-food commodities, such as rent, fuel and lighting, household items and transportation, reflecting the high purchasing power of its population (Danilola et al, 2019). Our primary data were collected using a structured questionnaire obtained from a field survey made possible by a synergy between the authors of this work and KCDONEWELL Consulting Limited in Lagos (Nigeria), which has great expertise in collecting data on the field in our study area.…”

Consumers’ Knowledge and Use of Nutritional Labelling Information in Lagos, Nigeria

“…The Nutritional Labelling and Educational Act (NLEA) was introduced by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1990, and the NLEA regulations on nutrition labelling were implemented in 1994 [6]. Sections 5 and 30 of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control Act Cap NI Laws of Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004 empower the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to raise food production standards as well as laws against food commodities that are harmful to human health [16]. The Act specifies that no one may manufacture, import, distribute, advertise, display for sale, sell, or use pre-packaged foods unless they are labelled under these standards [17].…”

“…On the other hand, some consumers believe that the mere presence of a food label demonstrates the manufacturer's effort to make the product healthful [4]. While many studies on food labels have been conducted in developed countries such as the United States [6], Ireland [19], and the United Kingdom [20], few studies have been conducted in third-world countries such as Nigeria, particularly among the urban population who buy FMCG products [4,16]. Nigerians' use of information sources, knowledge, and practice concerning food labelling content demonstrates this discrepancy.…”