Nutrition Label Knowledge Research Articles

Exploring the perception of small and medium food enterprises in Lincolnshire, UK on the use of front‐of‐pack nutrition labels by consumers

SummaryThe food and drink industry is the UK's largest manufacturing sector, and small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) play a key role in the UK's food system. This study investigates food‐providing SMEs' knowledge of nutrition labels and perceptions of the use of front‐of‐pack nutrition labels in making informed and healthy food choices by consumers. The SMEs were based in Lincolnshire, UK, and comprised food manufacturers (75%), food retailers (14%) and food service providers (11%) (n = 35). A 25‐item questionnaire was developed and validated to collect responses. The questionnaire link was disseminated by email and completed online. Comparisons were made between competing answers using Cochran's Q tests, each with post‐hoc pairwise McNemar test comparisons. Confidence intervals were computed using ordinal regressions. More than half of the SMEs' products (58%) had UK traffic light (TL) colour‐coded schemes and % Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs). The SMEs stated that the TL label was the best format that provided ‘at‐a‐glance’ information, and this was significantly higher than %GDA and interpretative text (Ps < 0.003). Nearly 49% of the SMEs were unaware of the front‐of‐pack labels being not mandatory in the United Kingdom. Many (86%) acknowledged that the nutrition information on food products was helpful or very helpful for consumers in making purchasing decisions. The SMEs seemed to place the costs of implementing FOP labels on food products above their helpfulness in making healthier food decisions by consumers. This research is one of the first to investigate the perceptions of SMEs on how consumers utilise nutrition labels when making healthier food choices in the United Kingdom. Government subsidies on the costs incurred by incorporating TL labelling on the products are necessary in order to have front of pack (FOP) labels mandatory in the United Kingdom. Greater food industry involvement in academic and policy‐related research is essential to creating a healthier and more sustainable food environment.

Examining Nutrition Label Knowledge, Self-Efficacy, and Nutrition Facts Panel Usage

Examining Nutrition Label Knowledge, Self-Efficacy, and Nutrition Facts Panel Usage

Status of nutrition labeling knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of residents in the community and structural equation modeling analysis.

Unhealthy foods were a major contributor to the occurrence of chronic non-communicable diseases. The promotion of nutrition labeling in the community can effectively help residents to choose healthy foods, which plays an important role in the prevention of chronic diseases. However, the public awareness of this measure is not clear. Our study used a structural equation model based on the KAP theory to analyze the interaction mechanisms among knowledge, attitude, and practice and aimed to evaluate the relationships among nutrition knowledge, attitude, and practice of residents, which can provide the basis of policy formulation for nutrition education and behavior intervention. We carried out a cross-sectional study from May 2022 to July 2022 in the "Community Health Service Center", and each "Community Service Station" in Yinchuan use a self-designed questionnaire and convenience sampling to evaluate resident nutrition labeling KAP status. This study adopted the structural equation modeling approach to analyze a survey of Chinese individuals through the cognitive processing model, interrelated nutrition knowledge, nutrition label knowledge, attitude, and practice. According to the principle of sample size estimation, a total of 636 individuals were investigated, with the ratio of male to female being 1:1.2. The average score of community residents' nutrition knowledge was 7.48 ± 3.24, and the passing rate was 19.4%. Most residents had a positive attitude toward nutrition labeling, but the awareness rate was only 32.7% and the utilization rate was 38.5%. Univariate analysis showed that women had higher knowledge scores than men (p < 0.05), and young people had higher scores than older adults (p < 0.05), and the difference was significant. Based on the KAP structural equation model (SEM), residents' nutrition knowledge will directly affect their attitude toward nutrition labeling. Attitude played a greater role as an indirect effect between knowledge and behavior, while trust limits residents' practice of nutrition labeling and then affects their practice. It could be explained that nutrition knowledge was the prerequisite for label reading behavior, and attitude was the intermediary effect. The nutrition knowledge and nutrition labeling knowledge of respondents hardly directly support the practice of nutrition labeling, but it can influence the use behavior by forming a positive attitude. The KAP model is suitable for explaining residents' use of nutrition labeling in the region. Future research should focus on better understanding the motivations of residents to use nutrition labeling and the opportunity to use nutrition labeling in real-life shopping settings.

Urban-Rural Disparities in Knowledge, Use and Perceived Benefits of Nutrition Labels in China: Evidence from 10 Provinces.

There exist significant gaps in nutritional status between urban and rural populations in China. The previous literature has shown that more knowledge and usage of nutrition labels are instrumental in improving diet quality and health. The aim of the study is to analyze: (1) Are there urban-rural disparities in consumer knowledge, use and perceived benefits of nutrition labels in China; (2) If so, what are the magnitudes of the disparities; (3) What can explain the disparities, and how can the disparities be reduced? The Oaxaca-Blinder (O-B) decomposition is utilized to analyze the predictors of urban-rural disparities in nutrition labels based on a self-conducted study of Chinese individuals. The information from a total of 1635 individuals (aged 11-81 years) across China in 2016 was collected in the survey. We find that rural respondents have less knowledge, lower usage and perceived benefits of nutrition labels than their urban counterparts. Demographics, focus on food safety, frequent shopping locations and income jointly explain 98.9% of the disparity in the knowledge of nutrition labels. Nutrition label knowledge is the predictor which contributes most to urban-rural disparity in label use-accounting for 29.6% of the disparity. Nutrition label knowledge and use are the two biggest predictors of disparities in perceived benefits-accounting for 29.7% and 22.8% of the disparity in perceived benefits, respectively. Our study suggests that policies aiming to improve income and education, as well as raising awareness of food safety in rural areas, are promising in closing the urban-rural disparities in nutrition labels knowledge, use, diet quality and health in China.

Nutrition label knowledge among culinary and health students in Indonesia

Many students in the world believed that the nutrition label was too difficult to understand. There is no previous research on nutrition label knowledge among Indonesian students in the field of health and culinary. This study was aimed to evaluate nutritional label knowledge among culinary and health students in Indonesia. A total of 252 students were recruited from 62 universities in Indonesia. The selection was carried out using the cluster sampling method. Sample respondents were asked to answer a validated nutrition label knowledge questionnaire. Nutrition label knowledge differences among culinary and health students were analyzed using Fisher exact tests. The percentage of wrong answers was mostly in questions about food ingredients containing high protein and fibre. The second and third most wrong answer was on the number of carbohydrates and fat consumed when consuming 2 servings. The total number of health students that answered incorrectly were significantly greater than culinary students on whether or not one serving of packaged processed products can meet daily nutrition need. The majority of the culinary and health students contributed correctly to the nutrients expected to be included on the nutrition label. The food nutrition label knowledge score for students in the culinary field is 5.40 and was categorized as good, whereas, the score in the health sector was 4.90 (moderately good). Health students need to get additional education about food nutrition labels.

Science teachers’ knowledge of nutrition facts on canned foods and its implications during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study investigates the extent of science teachers' knowledge of canned food. An electronic questionnaire was been given to 56 teachers from various scientific educational majors; in addition, the questionnaire was given to teachers in the field of teaching from medical specialties. As well, 10 interviews were made to clarify the effects of gender and monthly income in how teachers choose their canned food from the market, particularly at time of COVID - 19 crises because it is easy to be stored for long time at quarantines. Results revealed that there were significant differences in participant's knowledge of nutrition labels for the canned food attributed of gender in most of the questions. On other side, there were no significant differences in participant's knowledge of nutrition labels for the canned food attributed of monthly income. Based on the results, it is recommended to add in science curriculum teaching food labeling and to know how to choose and consume canned food. This might save many lives in the new generations from suffering of comorbidities that caused death for many people in the COVID -19 crises (BROWN, 2020) as well recommended to expand the research to put more variables such as the scientific degree of teachers in educational field, Private and Government school teachers.

Nutrition Label Knowledge and Attitude to Affect Healthy Food Choice among Young Consumers in Malaysia

This research attempts to investigate the direct effect of nutrition label knowledge on attitude, and, nutrition label knowledge and attitude in choosing healthy food among Malaysian consumers as well as the role of nutrition label attitude as a mediator. This research applied the quantitative approach. A sample comprised 381 Malaysian consumers with minimum age of 18 years old. Data from a sample were obtained using a structured questionnaire and analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). The findings reveal that nutrition label knowledge as a significant predictor of nutrition label attitude and, nutrition label knowledge and attitude as significant predictors of healthy food choice. In addition, the findings reveal the nutrition label attitude as a partial mediator in the relationship between nutrition label knowledge and healthy food choice. Although the findings provide fresh insights on the role of nutrition label knowledge and attitude in affecting healthy food choice, this research requires a replication in future research as to improve the explanatory power of the framework.

Survey on the behavior and attitude of nutrition labels by Chengdu fast food and light meal takeaway merchants

Learn about the view, cognition, willingness and attitude of the employees of Chengdu fast food takeaway business on nutrition labels and their attitude towards labeling nutrition labels on takeaway meals. Using a multi-stage random sampling method, five districts were randomly selected in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, and two streets were randomly selected in each of the selected districts, and the questionnaire was administered on a one-to-one basis. A total of 834 chefs and caterers were surveyed in the fast food, simple meals category of takeaway businesses. The rate of viewing the nutrition labels on pre-packaged food by chefs and catering staff in takeaway businesses was 48. 07%, and the viewing rate was increasing with the improvement of education(χ~2=15. 379, P=0. 001). The mastery rate of nutrition label knowledge was 15. 08%, which was different for different ages(χ~2=6. 072, P=0. 048). The mastery rate of men(18. 72%) was higher than that of women(9. 91%)(χ~2=12. 193, P&lt;0. 001), and that of chefs(18. 01%) was higher than that of catering staff(12. 88%)(χ~2=4. 172, P=0. 041). The nutritional label understanding intention of the subjects was 28. 10%, and the difference of willingness to know about nutrition label-related knowledge was statistically significant in different age groups(χ~2=6. 183, P=0. 045). The respondents&apos; viewing of nutrition labels was associated with willingness to understand, with a Person coefficient of contingency of 0. 104. The proportion of supporting nutrition labels on takeaway meals was 56. 69%. There were statistically significant differences in attitudes towards nutrition labels on takeaway food packages among respondents of different age groups, gender, education, working years and whether they were chain stores(χ~2=21. 445, 8. 675, 14. 684, 12. 198, 25. 852, P&lt;0. 05). The take-out industry chefs and catering staff have insufficient review rate and mastery of nutrition labels, and their willingness to understand nutrition labels is not high.

Characteristics and Motivations of Consumers of Direct Purchasing Channels and the Perceived Barriers to Alternative Food Purchase: A Cross-Sectional Study in the Ecuadorian Andes

Modern food systems generate social inequalities in the access to healthy food, but some families maintain behaviors that provide an alternative to these systems. Agroecological consumers (ACs) and non-agroecological direct market consumers (DMCs) are key actors in alternative food systems. We assessed the characteristics of ACs and DMCs using data from a representative sample of households in Ibarra, Quito and Riobamba (n = 2914). We also deepened the exploration of motivations for adopting these practices through mini-ethnographies with families who were identified as ACs or DMCs (n = 15). We found motivations related to personal health problems, food quality (e.g., taste, freshness), and safety (e.g., avoiding pesticides) to be key. Other motivations were price and community solidarity with farmers. Barriers included inconvenience, lack of awareness, and insecurity of market location. Using Chi-square tests, we found differences between ACs and DMCs on place of residence, education, employment, health, and diet. Controlling for socioeconomic and health variables using logistic regressions, we found DMC dietary habits to be similar to the remainder of the study population, except that they were less likely to eat processed foods less frequently (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 0.6, 95% confidence interval 0.4–0.9). In contrast, ACs were more likely than the remainder of the study population to control their salt intake (3.2, 1.9–5.2) and have greater knowledge of nutrition labels (2.8, 1.7–4.6). They were more likely to eat traditional foods frequently (1.9, 1.1–3.3), fruit and vegetables daily (1.6, 1.0–2.8), and processed foods less frequently (2.7, 1.5–4.8). Hence, these two types of alternative food provisioning practices (AC and DMC) were adopted by different types of consumers, with heterogenous motivations and food consumption practices. These findings have implications for public health initiatives aiming to scale up the nutrition and ecological potential of alternative food systems.

The Effect of an Online Sugar Fact Intervention: Change of Mothers with Young Children.

Research indicates that high sugar intake in early childhood may increase risks of tooth decay, obesity and chronic disease later in life. In this sugar fact study, we explored whether an online intervention which focused on comprehensive and useful information about nutrition labels impacted mother’s choice of low sugar food. The intervention was developed on the basis of the theory of planned behavior. In total, 122 mothers were recruited. Mothers were divided into an online-only group and a plus group. Knowledge of sugar and nutrition labels, behavioral attitudes, perceived behavioral control, behavioral intentions and behavior towards purchasing low-sugar products with nutrition labels were collected. After the intervention, both groups exhibited significantly enhanced sugar and nutrition label knowledge, perceived behavioral control, behavioral intentions and behavior. Compared to the online-only group, knowledge, perceived behavioral control and behavior of the plus group significantly improved. After the intervention, about 40% of the plus group and 80% of the online-only group still did not know the World Health Organization (WHO) sugar recommendations. Understanding sugar recommendations and using nutrition labels are crucial to help people control calorie and sugar intake. Further research with a larger sample is warranted to evaluate the effects of the intervention on long-term changes in shopping behavior. More efficient and convenient nutrition education is required to increase public awareness of sugar recommendations and help people control calorie and sugar intake.

Comparisons of food security, dietary behaviors and nutrient intakes between adult North Korean Refugees in South Korea and South Koreans.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVESNorth Korean refugees (NKRs) in South Korea are a unique population as they must adapt in a new country with similar cultural traits but different social, political, and economic systems, but little research has been conducted on diet and nutrition in this population. This study examined food security, dietary behaviors, and nutrient intakes among adult NKRs living in South Korea and compared them to those of South Koreans.SUBJECTS/METHODSThe subjects were 139 adult NKRs (25 men, 114 women) living in the Seoul metropolitan area, and 417 age- and sex-matched South Korean controls (SKCs; 75 men, 342 women) selected from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Food security and dietary behaviors (meal skipping, eating-out, meals with family, nutrition education and counseling, and nutrition label knowledge and utilization) were obtained using self-administered questionnaires. Nutrient intakes were assessed by 24-hr recall. The statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS ver. 23.0.RESULTSIn South Korea, food security had improved over the previous 12 months, but remained significantly poorer for NKR women than SKC women. Meal skipping was three times more frequent than for SKCs and eating-out was rare. Average energy intake was 1,509 kcal for NKR men and 1,344 kcal for NKR women, which was lower than those of SKCs (2,412 kcal and 1,789 kcal, respectively). Significantly more NKRs (men 24.0%, women 21.9%) showed simultaneously deficient intake in energy, calcium, iron, vitamin A, and riboflavin than SKCs (men 2.7% (P = 0.003), women 7.0% (P < 0.001)). NKR women had a significantly higher index of nutrient quality (INQ) for some nutrients than SK women.CONCLUSIONSThis study reports significant differences in food security, dietary behaviors, and nutrient intakes between NKRs and SKCs. Generally, NKRs reported lower intakes despite improved food security, but relatively good INQs across nutrients. Further research is needed to understand processes of food choice and consumption among NKRs to provide appropriate support aimed at improving diets.

Factors influencing food-choice behavior of African-American college students: implications for the foodservice industry

ABSTRACTCollege students, particularly ethnic minorities in the US, are at a high risk for obesity and health complications. This study determines the type of foods that African-American college students are choosing to eat, and what factors influence those choices. Findings show that fresh fruits, whole grain bread, grilled chicken, and salad top the list of food choices. Knowledge of nutrition labels, gender, weight management, and eating facilities are among the factors found to influence these choices. Managerial implication of findings for the foodservice industry, and other interest groups are discussed. Directions for future research are given.

Consumer knowledge and use of food and nutrition labelling in South Africa: A cross‐sectional descriptive study

AbstractThe noncommunicable disease burden can be addressed through population‐wide interventions, including the promotion of healthy diets through the provision of adequate nutrition information on food labels. The study aimed to determine consumer knowledge and reading of nutrition information on food labels; the self‐reported impact of food and nutrition labelling on purchasing behaviour; and barriers to and expectations of reading nutrition information. In this cross‐sectional descriptive study, an interviewer‐administered electronic survey was conducted on adult consumers (N = 960) at 16 randomly selected grocery stores (from the four main food retailers in South Africa) in four health districts of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa. Data from the survey were exported from SurveyMonkey® to Microsoft Excel and analysed using STATISTICA Version 13. The relation between nominal variables was investigated with contingency tables and likelihood ratio chi‐squared tests. Regression analysis of a continuous response variable vs. ordinal input was done and the strength of the relationship was measured with Spearman correlation. A p‐value of p &lt; .05 represented statistical significance. Only 36.0% of participants indicated that they frequently/always read nutrition information on food labels. Older individuals (p &lt; .05), white participants (p &lt; .001), those with a higher level of education (p &lt; .001) and income (p &lt; .001) read nutrition information more frequently. The main reasons for not reading nutrition information included buying the same type of product all the time (34.28%) and not being interested in the nutrition information (31.44%). The mean food and nutrition label knowledge score was 44.4% (fair or below average) with those that often read the nutrition information on labels having a significantly higher score (p &lt; .01). Main factors influencing food purchasing behaviour included price (81.25%), sell‐by date (89.16%) and products on special/promotion (87.08%). Participants would prefer less complex terminology (79.69%), more pictures/colours (71.15%), a single health endorsement logo (73.33%) and bigger font sizes (69.17%) to be used on food labels. Cape Town consumers have fair food and nutrition label knowledge and do not regularly read nutrition information on labels. This could explain why nutrition information was not mentioned as an important determinant of food purchasing. More should be done to educate consumers on utilizing the nutrition information on food labels to make healthier food choices and to simplify food labels for consumers.

Factors instead of demographic characteristics related to nutrition label use

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to examine how health consciousness and nutrition self-efficacy influence attitudes towards and use of nutrition labels, the moderating effect of nutrition knowledge between health consciousness and nutrition label attitude, and the impact of the consumer’s ethical evaluation of a business on nutrition label use.Design/methodology/approach– This study proposes an integrative model that includes health consciousness, nutrition self-efficacy, nutrition knowledge, nutrition label attitude, ethical evaluation, and nutrition label use. Empirical data were collected from a famous website in Taiwan by a non-ordered questionnaire to decrease the priming effect, and 306 valid questionnaires were collected. The collected data were analysed using SPSS and AMOS software.Findings– The results show that both health consciousness and nutrition self-efficacy have direct effects on nutrition label attitude, and this attitude will influence label use. There is a moderating effect of nutrition knowledge, in terms of both subjective and objective nutrition label knowledge, between health consciousness and nutrition label attitude. However, the moderating effect in the low nutrition label knowledge group is slightly greater than in the high nutrition label knowledge group. The consumer’s ethical evaluation of businesses affects nutrition label use.Originality/value– This study is the first to indicate that nutrition label knowledge, both subjective and objective, will moderate the relationship between consumers’ health consciousness and their attitude towards nutrition labels. Furthermore, this study affirms the relationship between the consumer’s ethical evaluation of a firm and nutrition label use.

Pilot Evaluation of an In-Store Nutrition Label Education Program

To describe and provide recommendations for the implementation of an evaluation for an already existing, in-store Nutrition Label Education Program (NLEP). We describe the development and implementation of an evaluation consisting of a pre- and postsurvey and one month follow-up. The evaluation was designed to assess satisfaction with the NLEP as well as changes in participant nutrition label knowledge, confidence in using nutrition labels, and actual changes in nutrition label use. Nineteen participants took part in the pilot evaluation. The evaluation was successful in demonstrating high levels of satisfaction with the NLEP as well as positive changes in participant confidence and some increased knowledge in using nutrition labels. However, only 3 people participated in the follow-up, limiting the ability to assess behaviour change. Ideally, NLEPs should include ongoing evaluation that extends beyond just assessing participant satisfaction. Recommendations are provided for conducting such evaluations, including the importance of incorporating the evaluation into the program itself, using existing questionnaires when possible, and employing pre- and postsurveys as well as follow-up interviews to assess change.

Differential response of frequent and infrequent patrons to simplified nutrition labels at the point of selection in quick‐service food establishment

Frequent patrons of quick‐service food establishments have grown substantially in the past decade, a concern because meals away from home typically have higher energy content than meals prepared at home. Provision of nutrition labels at the point of selection could help frequent patrons in particular make healthful entrée selections, but this is untested. This study examined if provision of nutrition labels at the point of selection changed the average energy content of entrées purchased by frequent and infrequent patrons. A quasi‐experimental, single‐group, interrupted time‐series design was used to examine daily sales data for 370 patrons before and after provision of the labels. Paired t‐test was used to test for differences in average energy content of entrées purchased, and regression was used to test for differences between frequent and infrequent patrons. For women, both frequent (27 kcal) and infrequent (39 kcal) patrons significantly decreased the average energy content of entrées purchased after provision of labels. For men, only frequent patrons significantly decreased (25 kcal). Results were not altered when patrons' body mass index, race, and knowledge of nutrition labels were controlled. These results are evidence that providing nutrition labels will help frequent patrons of quick‐service establishments‐‐those most at risk of increased energy intake‐‐make healthful entrée selections.

Determinants of Nutrition Label Use Among College Students

The purpose of this research was to assess the frequency of nutrition label use among college students and its relationship to nutrition and label knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding diet-disease relationships, and to determine factors predictive of frequent or infrequent label use. This study utilized a cross-sectional design. Volunteer participants included a convenience sample of 1,294 students from a large university in Texas. A 57-item survey instrument was used to assess nutrition label knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs about diet-disease relationships. Open-ended items were included to capture reasons for frequent/infrequent label use. Statistical analyses included frequency distributions, Pearson's correlations, independent sample t-tests, and binary logistic regression. Label users had greater knowledge, more favorable attitudes, and more accurate perceptions of diet-disease relationships than nonusers. Females exhibited greater knowledge, more favorable attitudes, and more frequent label use than males. Health reasons, looking for specific information, weight control, and knowledge predicted frequent label use. Desire for certain foods, time constraints, and “don't care” attitudes predicted infrequent use. These predictors of frequent/infrequent use suggest important points of intervention for increasing label use among selected groups of college students.

The nutrition label knowledge and usage behaviours of women in the US

Summary The objective of this study was to evaluate the nutrition label‐reading skills of women to determine the impact of demographic and health factors on label‐usage behaviours and label‐reading knowledge. A sample of 453 women was surveyed to determine their label‐usage behaviours and label‐reading knowledge. 80% of all participants reported that they were ‘label readers’ (i.e. they always or sometimes read labels), however, only about one‐quarter indicated that they always read nutrition labels. Three out of four participants reported that labels always or sometimes affected their purchasing decisions. In general, participants had fairly well‐developed label‐reading knowledge. However, further analysis revealed that certain subgroups were the least proficient at using nutrition labelling (i.e. older women, women with no postsecondary education, and women who perceived their health to be fair to poor). We conclude that nutrition labelling education programmes can help consumers to use nutrition labels to improve the quality of their diets. While probably all consumer groups could benefit from labelling education, the least proficient groups deserve special attention. Labelling education efforts targeted to a subgroup's needs and interests and delivered in a manner that is readily accessible and acceptable to them is key to maximising the impact of nutrition labels.

Comparison of Individualized Computer Game Reinforcement versus Peer-interactive Board Game Reinforcement on Retention of Nutrition Label Knowledge

During the last several decades, there has been an increase in the development and use of educational games in the classroom. The literature reviewed was inconclusive as to the relationship of using educational games for knowledge reinforcement and the amount of knowledge retained. The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between nutrition label knowledge retention and the game reinforcement methods of a peer-interactive board game or an individualized computer game. Fourteen classes of fifth graders (N=277) were taught nutrition label information prior to being put into the treatment groups. The study concluded that the peer-interactive board game reinforcement was significantly more effective than the other reinforcement methods.