Consumer Behaviour toward Food Labels and its Implication on Food Waste during COVID-19 Crisis in Tunisia

Since perishable food in private households is usually stored in refrigerators, both consumer knowledge of correct storage parameters and food handling have a major impact on food quality retention. Today’s refrigerators provide features, such as climate-controlled compartments, to improve chilled storage performance, but former studies have shown a lack of usage and interest in such features. This paper is based on the results of an online survey with 2666 respondents from Germany. The questionnaire focused on consumer behaviour regarding the chilled storage of perishable foods, the perception of quality loss in food and consumer requirements concerning refrigerators. The novelty in the study layout was the focus on seven common refrigerator storage features. The results showed that consumers had a high awareness of food safety, resulting in short storage durations. While it was clearly indicated that the storage features were less well-known, their importance correlated with rates of food waste, underlining the potential for improvement. The survey implied that raising the awareness of storage climate parameters is a tool for nudging consumers into lower rates of food waste.

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FOOD WASTAGE BY TUNISIAN HOUSEHOLDS

AGROFOR ◽

10.7251/agreng1601172s ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Khaled Sassi ◽

Roberto Capone ◽

Ghassen Abid ◽

Philipp Debs ◽

Hamid El Bilali ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Education ◽

Food Waste ◽

Food Chain ◽

Education Level ◽

Bakery Products ◽

Food Labels ◽

Nutrition Security ◽

Food And Nutrition ◽

Context Specific ◽

Food Wastage

Food waste (FW) is seen as an obstacle to achieving food and nutrition security andfood systems sustainability. It is known in literature that households are significantcontributors to the total amount of FW. This paper reports on results of an onlinesurvey that was conducted from February to April 2015 with a random sample of281 Tunisian adults. The aim of the survey is to assess the knowledge and relativeimportance of FW; attitudes towards FW; impacts of behaviors regarding food andfood management; quantity and value of FW; as well as barriers and willingness tobehavioral change. The sample was not gender-balanced (71.2% female and 28.8%male). The majority of the respondents was young (70.8% aged between 18 and 34years) and has high education level (95.4% having university and PhD degrees).Food waste is prevalent in Tunisia as about the half of respondents declare thatthey throw food. The most wasted food products are fruits, vegetables, and cerealsand bakery products. Only 42.7% of respondents declared that the economic valueof food waste generated each month is more than 6US$. Most of Tunisianrespondents have a good understanding of food labels that is probably due to thehigh education level of the sample. About 37% of respondents throw weekly atleast 250 g of still consumable food. To reduce FW in Tunisia it is important to seta strategy at all food chain levels. There is also an urgent need to raise people’s andorganizations awareness towards this problem. This article provides a basis for thedevelopment of other more context specific investigations and interventions for theprevention of household FW in Tunisia.

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Serving size guidance for consumers: is it effective?

Proceedings of The Nutrition Society ◽

10.1017/s0029665112000766 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 71 (4) ◽

pp. 610-621 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

G. P. Faulkner ◽

L. K. Pourshahidi ◽

J. M. W. Wallace ◽

M. A. Kerr ◽

T. A. McCrorie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chronic Exposure ◽

Consumer Behaviour ◽

Portion Size ◽

Direct Impact ◽

Food Labels ◽

Potential Barriers ◽

Portion Sizes ◽

The Impact ◽

Conflicting Messages ◽

Serving Size

Larger portion sizes (PS) may be inciting over-eating and contributing to obesity rates. Currently, there is a paucity of data on the effectiveness of serving size (SS) guidance. The aims of the present review are to evaluate SS guidance; the understanding, usability and acceptability of such guidance, its impact on consumers and potential barriers to its uptake. A sample of worldwide SS guidance schemes (n 87) were identified using targeted and untargeted searches, overall these were found to communicate various inconsistent and often conflicting messages about PS selection. The available data suggest that consumers have difficulty in understanding terms such as ‘portion size’ and ‘serving size’, as these tend to be used interchangeably. In addition, discrepancies between recommended SS and those present on food labels add to the confusion. Consumers generally understand and visualise SS best when expressed in terms of household measures rather than actual weights. Only a limited number of studies have examined the direct impact of SS guidance on consumer behaviour with equivocal results. Although consumers recognise that guidance on selecting SS would be helpful, they are often unwilling to act on such guidance. The challenge of achieving consumer adherence to SS guidance is formidable due to several barriers including chronic exposure to larger PS, distorted consumption norms and perceptions, the habit of ‘cleaning one's plate’ and language barriers for ethnic minorities. In conclusion, the impact of SS guidance on consumers merits further investigation to ensure that future guidance resonates with consumers by being more understandable, usable and acceptable.

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The science on front-of-package food labels

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980012000754 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. 430-439 ◽

Cited By ~ 267

Author(s):

Kristy L Hawley ◽

Christina A Roberto ◽

Marie A Bragg ◽

Peggy J Liu ◽

Marlene B Schwartz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Industry ◽

Consumer Behaviour ◽

Consumer Preferences ◽

Future Research ◽

Institute Of Medicine ◽

Food Labels ◽

Inclusion Criteria ◽

Traffic Light ◽

The Us ◽

Purchasing Patterns

AbstractObjectiveThe US Food and Drug Administration and Institute of Medicine are currently investigating front-of-package (FOP) food labelling systems to provide science-based guidance to the food industry. The present paper reviews the literature on FOP labelling and supermarket shelf-labelling systems published or under review by February 2011 to inform current investigations and identify areas of future research.DesignA structured search was undertaken of research studies on consumer use, understanding of, preference for, perception of and behaviours relating to FOP/shelf labelling published between January 2004 and February 2011.ResultsTwenty-eight studies from a structured search met inclusion criteria. Reviewed studies examined consumer preferences, understanding and use of different labelling systems as well as label impact on purchasing patterns and industry product reformulation.ConclusionsThe findings indicate that the Multiple Traffic Light system has most consistently helped consumers identify healthier products; however, additional research on different labelling systems’ abilities to influence consumer behaviour is needed.

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Sustainable Retailing – Influencing Consumer Behaviour on Food Waste

Business Strategy and the Environment ◽

10.1002/bse.1966 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 27 (1) ◽

pp. 1-15 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

C. William Young ◽

Sally V. Russell ◽

Cheryl A. Robinson ◽

Phani Kumar Chintakayala

Keyword(s):

Food Waste ◽

Consumer Behaviour

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Using Causal Maps to Analyse the Major Root Causes of Household Food Waste: Results of a Survey among People from Central and Southern Italy

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11041183 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 1183 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Rosa Fanelli

Keyword(s):

Food Waste ◽

Consumer Behaviour ◽

Demographic Characteristics ◽

Statistical Dependence ◽

Second Phase ◽

Clear Understanding ◽

Causal Maps ◽

Sustainability Issue ◽

The Individual ◽

The Impact

Food waste is an important sustainability issue that needs to be addressed. Consumer behaviour is one of the biggest sources of food waste in developed countries. To successfully reduce consumer-related food waste, it is necessary to have a clear understanding of its major root causes at the level of the individual. The present manuscript presents the results of an exploratory on-line survey that was made available through Google Drive and conducted among a representative sample of 1058 Italian individuals. The information contained in the questionnaire related to the characteristics of the individual respondents, their attitudes to expenditure and food, and their opinions of measures to reduce or prevent food waste. Data analysis was conducted in three phases. The first phase allowed for the identification, with the application of descriptive statistics, of the socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents and why, what, and how much they wasted. In the second phase, linear regression analysis and causal maps were used to both measure the statistical dependence between variables and to identify the main root causes of food waste in the phase of individual consumption. As expected, the perceived quantity of food waste that was declared by respondents was very low. Among the major root causes identified, the socio-demographic characteristics of consumers, types of food shopping purchases, and consumer behaviour played a key role. A causal map was drawn, which offers an immediate vision of the major root causes and can be a useful tool for policymakers who intend to introduce measures to combat food waste. Finally, participants’ responses showed that the main initiatives needed to eliminate waste are the separate collection and dissemination of more information on the impact that waste has on the environment. For these reasons, information and education policies are crucial for changing consumer lifestyles and raising awareness of the value of food.

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Food bar labels: consumer behaviour and veracity of the available information

BRAZILIAN JOURNAL OF FOOD TECHNOLOGY ◽

10.1590/1981-6723.13116 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 21 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Carla Gonçalo Domiciano ◽

Rafaela Corrêa Pereira ◽

Camila Teodoro Rezende Picinin ◽

Felipe Santana Machado ◽

Michel Cardoso de Angelis-Pereira

Keyword(s):

Common Sense ◽

Educational Level ◽

Nutritional Value ◽

Consumer Behaviour ◽

Demographic Variables ◽

Food Labels ◽

Food Sector ◽

Low Calorie ◽

Consumer Habits ◽

Available Information

Abstract The search for high nutritional value, convenience, low-calorie foods with pleasant sensory characteristics which provide health benefits, makes food bars a promising product in the food sector, and they are already being considered as healthy alternatives according to common sense. The objectives of this study were: (i) to evaluate the interest and the way in which consumers understand the information on food labels; (ii) to determine consumer habits; and (iii) to determine the sugar contents of commercial food bars (conventional, sugar-free and light) to confirm the veracity of the information available on the labels of these products. Regarding the consumption of food bars, the majority of the respondents consumed this product and, although most of them considered them to be a healthy product due to the allegation of being rich in fibre and cereals, even with the knowledge of the presence of sugar, the main reasons taken into consideration when buying them were convenience and practicality. Socio-demographic variables such as gender, age, income and educational level influenced the standards and behaviours of consumption of the product. The quantification of sugar in commercial food bars indicated that these products could be considered as foods with intermediate to high amounts of sugar. The results obtained for sugar-free bars were even more worrying because the concentrations of sugar found indicated a lack of compliance with applicable regulations for this category for all the brands evaluated.

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