Nutrition knowledge, and use and understanding of nutrition information on food labels among consumers in the UK

Abstract

Based on in-store observations in three major UK retailers, in-store interviews (2019) and questionnaires filled out at home and returned (921), use of nutrition information on food labels and its understanding were investigated. Respondents' nutrition knowledge was also measured, using a comprehensive instrument covering knowledge of expert recommendations, nutrient content in different food products, and calorie content in different food products. Across six product categories, 27% of shoppers were found to have looked at nutrition information on the label, with guideline daily amount (GDA) labels and the nutrition grid/table as the main sources consulted. Respondents' understanding of major front-of-pack nutrition labels was measured using a variety of tasks dealing with conceptual understanding, substantial understanding and health inferences. Understanding was high, with up to 87.5% of respondents being able to identify the healthiest product in a set of three. Differences between level of understanding and level of usage are explained by different causal mechanisms. Regression analysis showed that usage is mainly related to interest in healthy eating, whereas understanding of nutrition information on food labels is mainly related to nutrition knowledge. Both are in turn affected by demographic variables, but in different ways.

Perception of front-of-pack labels according to social characteristics, nutritional knowledge and food purchasing habits

“…Previous studies showed that they differed in terms of market penetration, consumer acceptability and understanding, factors which might affect their use (4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9) . Some works showed that, compared with simple formats like health logos, detailed FOP labels (i.e.…”

“…'multiple traffic lights' and 'Guideline Daily Amounts') appear to be well accepted by consumers, probably due to more rapid and easier identification and use, along with more complete information (4,10,11) . In addition, previous studies suggested that most FOP labels are clearly understood (5)(6)(7) .…”

“…) varies considerably across population subgroups. Acceptability, understanding and ensuing use are lower among men, the elderly, persons having low socio-economic status and individuals with little nutritional knowledge (3,7,(12)(13)(14) . Other features, including price, brand name, claims and ingredient lists, compete with nutrition labels for the attention of the consumer during purchasing; perception of nutrition labels thus differs according to consumer attention to such features (3,12,(14)(15)(16) .…”

“…Previous studies compared acceptability and understanding of FOP label formats according to sociodemographic and economic factors, nutrition knowledge and interest in other characteristics of packaged foods (4)(5)(6)(7)12,14,17) . However, they did not take into account dimensions constituting acceptability so as to more accurately define profiles of label perception and elucidate their relationship with individual characteristics.…”

The role of health-related, motivational and sociodemographic aspects in predicting food label use: a comprehensive study

“…Other studies also supported the importance of health-related aspects for label use (see references (1), (2) and (5) for reviews of this literature). For example, having a strong belief in a relationship between diet and cancer, interest in healthy eating and being confident that one is able to eat healthily were associated with whether participants used labels at all (11)(12)(13)(14) . Furthermore, Petrovici and Ritson (15) found that self-reported nutrition knowledge and health motivation were positively related to frequency of label use.…”