Consumers find food labels confusing and too small to read.

Abstract

The aim of this research was to determine whether consumers are able to read and understand food labels. A structured interview was conducted during September 2009 with 176 consumers from a cross section of the population. Consumers, from teenagers to pensioners, were interviewed in a variety of locations including a town centre, a cafe, a supermarket, a commercial workplace, a leisure centre and a fast food restaurant. The majority of respondents (n=155, 88%) try to lead a healthy lifestyle with 149 (85%) reporting that eating healthily is important to them. Over half of respondents (n=102, 58%) read food labels when purchasing food and drink. When presented with a sample of food labels, more than half of consumers (n=96, 55%) interviewed stated that they did not understand the nutritional information and 108 (61%) reported that the labelling information is too small to read. Three out of four consumers (n=134, 76%) announced that they would value educational material with an integral magnifying glass to help them read and understand food labels. There were no significant differences in the findings attributable to the location of interview. It was concluded that the majority of consumers try to lead a healthy lifestyle and eat a healthy diet but find food labels confusing and too small to read. Educational material with an integral magnifying glass may assist consumers in making healthier food choices. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons.