Determinants of Nutrition Facts Table Use by Chinese Consumers for Nutritional Value Comparisons.

Zeying Huang,Haijun Li,Jiazhang Huang

doi:10.3390/ijerph19020673

Abstract

The nutrition facts table is a nutrition labeling tool designed to inform consumers of food nutritional contents and enable them to make healthier choices by comparing the nutritional values of similar foods. However, its adoption level is considerably low in China. This study employed the Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection (CHAID) algorithm to explore the factors associated with respondents’ adoption of nutrition facts table to compare the nutritional values of similar foods. Data were gathered through a nationally representative online survey of 1500 samples. Results suggested that consumers’ comprehension of the nutrition facts table was a direct explanatory factor for its use. The usage was also indirectly explained by people’s nutrition knowledge, the usage of nutrition facts table by their relatives and friends, and their focus on a healthy diet. Therefore, to increase the use of nutrition facts table by Chinese consumers, the first consideration should be given to enhancing consumers’ comprehension of the labeling

Highlights

As a description of the nutritional properties of food [1], nutrition labeling is regarded as a critical instrument to meet consumers’ need for accurate and comprehensible nutrition information to make healthier choices [2]
The nutrition facts table was far from being effectively adopted and only less than 40% reported that they compared the nutritional value of similar foods using the labeling at the point of purchase
People with a very high or high level of comprehension of the nutrition facts table (70.1%) were most likely to compare the nutritional values of similar foods

Summary

Introduction

As a description of the nutritional properties of food [1], nutrition labeling is regarded as a critical instrument to meet consumers’ need for accurate and comprehensible nutrition information to make healthier choices [2]. As a food label in China since 2013, the nutrition facts table has mandatorily provided the information about energy value and the amounts of protein, fat, carbohydrates, and sodium, as well as the percentages of Nutrient Reference Values (NRV). Per 100 g/mL on all prepackaged food items regulated by the national standard [3]. Chinese consumers to understand the nutritional status of food, which is expected to enable them to choose healthy food (i.e., low-calorie, low-fat, low-sodium, and high-protein) by comparing the nutritional information of food products among various brands or different series of the same brand. A representative survey showed that 70% of Chinese participants claimed to rarely or never use nutrition labels when shopping for food [8]. More attention should be paid to understanding the drivers of nutrition facts table use by consumers and devising appropriate measures to promote its usage

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion