Abstract
Nutrition labelling is a topical issue, being a vital aid that shapes consumers’ food choices and could be an efficient tool for the prevention of consumer vulnerability to diet-related diseases such as cancer, high blood pressure, hypertension, and obesity. However, data on the public use of nutritional labels as an information source on nutritional properties of foods and health claims, especially as it relates to Nigeria, are not popular in the literature. This study seeks to examine consumers’ use of labelling information: knowledge; attitude, and practice. A cross-sectional study with the aid of a survey elicited information from 374 randomly selected shoppers in five shopping malls in Lagos State. Data were analysed using the T-test method. Findings show that while the majority of the respondents (70.6%) read the nutritional information, only 64.9% understand the information presented on food labels. The study also reveals that the majority of the respondents (57.5%) do not know that information on food labels should be presented in the English language before any other language as recommended by the National Agency Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). While 57.9% of consumers have a positive attitude towards using food labels, 58% of the respondents’ buying decisions are influenced by food labels. The study concludes that consequent upon the importance of nutritional knowledge and wellbeing, consumers of Fast Moving Goods in Nigeria are beginning to consciously pay attention to nutritional labels. The study recommends that producers of Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) products in Nigeria should adopt the total disclosure of ingredients and nutritional content of their products. Also, regulatory bodies in charge of pre-packaged food products in Nigeria (NAFDAC) should go the whole way and make nutritional labelling mandatory.
Highlights
The purpose of this study is to look into how consumers in Lagos State use information sources, knowledge, attitude and practice when it comes to nutritional labelling
This suggests that women are more likely than males to read nutritional labels because they are more concerned about their weight and the ingredients in pre-packaged foods
12.6% of respondents were between the ages of 18–21, 9.4% were between the ages of 22–25, 8.6% were between the ages of 26–29, 15.2% were between the ages of
Summary
Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) companies have used various methods to inform, educate, and influence the purchasing power of their current and prospective customers, including advertisements, public relations, and digital marketing [1]. The unique platform of nutritional labels, on the other hand, has been used by Fast. Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) to communicate the substance of their products to their customers. Nutritional labelling is one of the ways pre-packaged food companies interact with their customers. Nutritional labelling explains a product’s composition of nutrients, such as protein, fat, carbs, food additives, and preservatives, among others.
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