Marketing and family-related factors affecting food label use: the mediating role of consumer knowledge

Abstract

PurposeThis study investigated the influence of marketing- and family-related factors on consumers' in-store usage of different types of food label information. Furthermore, the authors determined the mediating role of consumers' knowledge about healthy foods between these factors and their label consultation.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a survey among 223 purposively selected South African working female consumers via social media. Subjective and objective knowledge about healthy foods, the importance of marketing- and family-related factors and the extent of food label usage were determined. Structural equation modelling served to test the mediating effect of knowledge in the relationship of the marketing and family-related factors with food label usage.FindingsMarketing-related factors demonstrated a strong direct effect on food label usage. Subjective knowledge about healthy foods mediated the relationship between family members' dietary needs and food label usage. However, objective knowledge was not a mediator.Practical implicationsRespondents' firm reliance on marketing-related factors (instead of knowledge) during food label usage is not in the best interest of consumers' healthy food choices. Healthy food choices based on factual knowledge rather than marketing efforts are necessary to establish long-term healthy food habits, hence the need for retailers' response in supplying healthier food options. Role players in consumer education should focus on increasing consumers' healthy food knowledge.Originality/valueIn the context of rising awareness of public health concerns, healthy food choice among consumers is essential. This study contributes to the complexity of consumers' need to make healthy food choices within an economic-driven marketing environment.

The Impact of Interpretive Packaged Food Labels on Consumer Purchase Intention: The Comparative Analysis of Efficacy and Inefficiency of Food Labels

“…Reciprocally, to understand the information at food label with familiar food label assistant individual in making healthy packaged food intention [ 48 ]. The aforementioned studies have unfolded that, when individual intend to purchase unusual packaged food item, the efficacy of food label information play vital role [ 49 ]. The easy to read food label information makes individual confident while purchasing new packaged food item.…”

Nutritional Labelling and Purchase Intention

“…Since the shopping environment exposes the consumer to promotional communications that do not necessarily seek to encourage the consumer to opt for healthier products (Van der Merwe et al, 2022), the provision of information is one of the main strategies to enable consumers to make informed decisions about the quality of food and to improve eating habits (Lee & Sozen, 2020). This is essential to reduce malnutrition (de-Magritis et al, 2017) providing more benefit than the need of medical care (Goiana-da- Silva et al, 2019).…”

“…However, in the choice of food by the consumer, marketing information and personal knowledge are involved, and it is not clear how they evaluate the information available on the packaging to make healthy choices (Bryla, 2020;Van der Merwe et al, 2022). Thereby, consumers found difficult to understand the nutrition information on food labels, and many consumers do not read food labels when buying (Egnell et al, 2018).…”

“…The decision to purchase packaged foods is complex due to the different attributes used by consumers (Arroyo et al, 2021;Bryla, 2020;Da Silva et al, 2022;Van der Merwe et al, 2022), as well for the effect of different types of labels and contexts (Bryla, 2020). Regarding the coexistence of different types of labels on the packaging, both their joint effect and the way in which positive and negative claims are balanced have been analyzed (Acton et al, 2019;Medina-Molina & Pérez-González, 2021;Salnikova & Stanton, 2021).…”

“…A healthy diet and habits are a determining factor in the prevention of obesity and its related non-communicable diseases (de-Magritis et al, 2017;Goiana-da-Silva et al, 2019). However, only a minority of the population shows interest in information related to the food they consume (Arenas-Gaitán et al, 2022;Signal et al, 2022;Van der Merwe et al, 2022), so that changing inappropriate health habits requires recognizing that the behaviour of citizens is not rational (Arroyo et al, 2021;Pujara et al, 2022).…”