Abstract
ABSTRACT Objective This investigation evaluated the use of food labels and consumers’ perception of the reliability of food labels nutritional information. Methods This is a transversal exploratory quantitative investigation, carried out in Curitiba, Brazil. A total of 536 students from a public institution participated in the survey answering a structured questionnaire. Descriptive analyses, Chi-Square test and Fisher’s exact test were performed considering a significance level of 5%. Results The participants’ mean age was 21.11±2.83 years, and 59.3% were female. It was noticed that 41.6% of consumers used the nutritional information sometimes and 14.7% always, mainly because they liked to know what they were buying and consuming (35.8%). Lack of patience (29.5%) and concern about the composition of the food purchased (34.2%) were the main reasons for not using the information provided. The most commonly used nutrition claim was “trans fat-free” (42.5%) and the type of food in which nutrition labeling was used most was milk and dairy products (42.0%). Frequent use of nutritional information was higher among women (p<0.01) and among those who practice physical activity (p=0.04). Many individuals relied on food labels nutritional information (61.9%), but out of these, 43.6% did not use that information at the time of purchase. There was no difference between respondents’ confidence in the information, sociodemographic and health data. Conclusion Many people still do not use the label nutrition information. Efforts should be made to change this scenario. Changes in nutrition labeling can help modify this situation, with the use of clearer label information, more easily understood, that does not raise any doubts in the consumers’ mind.
Highlights
People seek convenience at all times in their life, especially at mealtimes, causing a great demand for ready-to-eat foods that offer a longer shelf life and shorter preparation time [1,2]
Food labeling outstands in this scenario, since it is the main mean of communication between the manufacturer and the consumer about the nutritional properties and components of a food [8]
Note: *Three examples are exhibited when at least 10 consumers were mentioned, two examples when the mention was 2 to 9 consumers, and one example when the mention was made by a consumer; **This question was answered only by consumers who indicated that they trusted the nutritional information on the labels depending on the food (n=143) or that they did not trust the information (n=57)
Summary
People seek convenience at all times in their life, especially at mealtimes, causing a great demand for ready-to-eat foods that offer a longer shelf life and shorter preparation time [1,2] In response to this demand, the offer of processed and ultra-processed products is increasing on supermarket shelves. The consumption of these foods has been associated with an increased incidence of obesity, as well as with chronic non-communicable diseases [2,3,4,5] In this context, it is essential that consumers have access to the nutritional information of these products, in order to exercise their right of choice; this right is ensured in different countries. It is through the label that the consumer has access to information about the nutritional properties of a food, including its ingredients, the energy value claim and the main nutrients available [9,10]
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