Consumer understanding and use of nutrition labelling: a systematic review

2005 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gill Cowburn ◽  
Lynn Stockley
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Nutrition Labels ◽  
Nutrition Labelling ◽  
Food Purchase ◽  
Product Comparison ◽  
Point Of Purchase ◽  
Actual Use ◽  
Types Of Information ◽  
Unpublished Research ◽  
Selection Of

AbstractObjective:To explore published and unpublished research into consumer understanding and use of nutrition labelling which is culturally applicable in Europe.Design:A systematic review undertaken between July 2002 and February 2003.Results:One hundred and three papers were identified that reported on consumer understanding or use of nutrition labelling, most originating from North America or northern Europe. Only a few studies (9%) were judged to be of high or medium–high quality. We found that reported use of nutrition labels is high but more objective measures suggest that actual use of nutrition labelling during food purchase may be much lower. Whether or not consumers can understand and use nutrition labelling depends on the purpose of the task. Available evidence suggests that consumers who do look at nutrition labels can understand some of the terms used but are confused by other types of information. Most appear able to retrieve simple information and make simple calculations and comparisons between products using numerical information, but their ability to interpret the nutrition label accurately reduces as the complexity of the task increases. The addition of interpretational aids like verbal descriptors and recommended reference values helps in product comparison and in putting products into a total diet context.Conclusions:Improvements in nutrition labelling could make a small but important contribution towards making the existing point-of-purchase environment more conducive to the selection of healthy choices. In particular, interpretational aids can help consumers assess the nutrient contribution of specific foods to the overall diet.

scholarly journals Revealing the truth about nutrition labelling: The age of the confused consumer

SURG Journal ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 42-46
Author(s):  
Kassandra Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Consumer Preferences ◽  
Food Selection ◽  
Food Products ◽  
Nutrition Labels ◽  
Nutrition Labelling ◽  
Nutritional Label ◽  
Types Of Information ◽  
Inadequate Nutrition

Inadequate nutrition is considered to be a leading cause of mortality in the world. Access to quality information about the nutritional quality of food products is essential for making informed decisions in terms of food selection. To this end, nutrition labelling can be used as a tool for helping guide consumers food choices. This review article will examine which consumers use nutrition labels and what types of information they get from them; how nutrition labels influence health choices, dietary habits, and consumer behaviours; and finally, current practices in nutrition labelling and whether this aligns with consumer preferences. Findings from this article are useful for developing methods of nutritional label education and understanding how nutrition labels can be improved to become more useful to consumers. Keywords: health; nutrition labelling; food products; packaging; public education; consumer perception

scholarly journals Food and the consumer: could labelling be the answer?

2015 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 158-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maeve A. Kerr ◽  
Mary T. McCann ◽  
M. Barbara E. Livingstone
Keyword(s):  
Food Packaging ◽  
Portion Size ◽  
Dietary Behaviour ◽  
Nutrition Label ◽  
Nutrition Labels ◽  
Size Information ◽  
Nutrition Labelling ◽  
Point Of Purchase ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Serving Size

Extensive research into the impact of nutrition labelling across Europe has shown that many consumers can effectively use a nutrition label to rank a food for healthiness. The present paper considers observational and laboratory evidence which has examined the impact of nutrition labelling (on food packaging and at point of purchase) on dietary behaviour. In addition, the potential counterproductive effects of foods bearing ‘healthy’ nutrition labels are examined. The observational evidence provides a useful insight into the key characteristics of nutrition label use. Those most likely to engage with nutrition labels are more likely to have a diet related disease and/or be on a weight loss diet and have a good overall diet quality. Experimental evidence, while limited, suggests that serving size information may be overlooked by consumers. In fact, there may be a tendency among consumers to overeat foods that are perceived to be healthier. The findings from the present paper suggest that if nutrition labelling is to be considered a strategy to facilitate consumers in managing their energy intake, it must coincide with salient, consistent and simple serving size information on the front of food packages and at the point of purchase. There is a clear need for more experimental research using robust methodologies, to examine the impact of nutrition information on dietary intake. In the meantime, there should be greater attention given to portion size within national dietary guidance.

scholarly journals Promotion of Resilience in Migrants: A Systematic Review of Study and Psychosocial Intervention

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Ciaramella ◽  
Nadia Monacelli ◽  
Livia Concetta Eugenia Cocimano
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Psychosocial Intervention ◽  
Life Experiences ◽  
Psychosocial Interventions ◽  
Migrant Population ◽  
Methodological Choices ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Selection Of

AbstractThis systematic review aimed to contribute to a better and more focused understanding of the link between the concept of resilience and psychosocial interventions in the migrant population. The research questions concerned the type of population involved, definition of resilience, methodological choices and which intervention programmes were targeted at migrants. In the 90 articles included, an heterogeneity in defining resilience or not well specified definition resulted. Different migratory experiences were not adequately considered in the selection of participants. Few resilience interventions on migrants were resulted. A lack of procedure’s descriptions that keep in account specific migrants’ life-experiences and efficacy’s measures were highlighted.

scholarly journals Comparison of blockchain platforms: a systematic review and healthcare examples

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 462-478 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tsung-Ting Kuo ◽  
Hugo Zavaleta Rojas ◽  
Lucila Ohno-Machado
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Biomedical Research ◽  
Health Informatics ◽  
Clinical Informatics ◽  
Healthcare Applications ◽  
Software Engineers ◽  
Key Features ◽  
Technical Features ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Selection Of

Abstract Objectives To introduce healthcare or biomedical blockchain applications and their underlying blockchain platforms, compare popular blockchain platforms using a systematic review method, and provide a reference for selection of a suitable blockchain platform given requirements and technical features that are common in healthcare and biomedical research applications. Target audience Healthcare or clinical informatics researchers and software engineers who would like to learn about the important technical features of different blockchain platforms to design and implement blockchain-based health informatics applications. Scope Covered topics include (1) a brief introduction to healthcare or biomedical blockchain applications and the benefits to adopt blockchain; (2) a description of key features of underlying blockchain platforms in healthcare applications; (3) development of a method for systematic review of technology, based on the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement, to investigate blockchain platforms for healthcare and medicine applications; (4) a review of 21 healthcare-related technical features of 10 popular blockchain platforms; and (5) a discussion of findings and limitations of the review.

Serving sizes and energy values on the nutrition labels of regular and diet/light processed and ultra-processed dairy products sold in Brazil

2016 ◽  
Vol 118 (7) ◽  
pp. 1579-1593 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priscila Pereira Machado ◽  
Mariana Vieira dos Santos Kraemer ◽  
Nathalie Kliemann ◽  
Cláudia Flemming Colussi ◽  
Marcela Boro Veiros ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Density ◽  
Dairy Products ◽  
Dairy Product ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Nutrition Labels ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Size Information ◽  
Nutrition Labelling ◽  
Serving Sizes ◽  
Serving Size

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse and compare the serving sizes and energy values reported on the nutrition information of all processed and ultra-processed dairy products in their regular and diet/light versions available for sale in a large supermarket in Brazil. Design/methodology/approach – A check was done for associations between the compliance of reported serving sizes, energy values per serving and energy density for regular foods and foods advertised at “diet/light” (with reduced fat and calories). Findings – The data included information from 451 dairy product labels. Most of the products had serving sizes smaller than the reference set by Brazilian law. A high variability of serving sizes was found for similar products. “Diet/light” foods tend to report serving sizes that are even smaller and more inadequate. Moreover, the energy density of these products was similar to that of the regular foods. Smaller serving sizes may be being presented on “diet/light” foods in order to report lower energy values and on similar foods to show non-existent differences in energy values. These results point to the importance of standardizing serving size information on food labels so that consumers have access to clear and accurate information about food products. Originality/value – This was the first census-type study to analyse the serving size information of dairy products at a supermarket of one of the ten largest supermarket chains in Brazil. This work extends the scope of current food labelling and contributes to the discussion about how nutrition labelling has been presented to Brazilian consumers and its possible consequences for food choices and the guarantee of consumer rights.

scholarly journals An objective examination of consumer perception of nutrition information based on healthiness ratings and eye movements

2007 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 238-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Jones ◽  
Miles Richardson
Keyword(s):  
Eye Movements ◽  
Consumer Perception ◽  
Nutrition Information ◽  
Objective Measures ◽  
Traffic Light ◽  
Nutrition Label ◽  
Nutrition Labels ◽  
Nutrition Labelling ◽  
Light System ◽  
Food Standards

AbstractObjectivePrevious research on nutrition labelling has mainly used subjective measures. This study examines the effectiveness of two types of nutrition label using two objective measures: eye movements and healthiness ratings.DesignEye movements were recorded while participants made healthiness ratings for two types of nutrition label: standard and standard plus the Food Standards Agency's ‘traffic light’ concept.SettingUniversity of Derby, UK.SubjectsA total of 92 participants (mean age 31.5 years) were paid for their participation. None of the participants worked in the areas of food or nutrition.ResultsFor the standard nutrition label, participant eye movements lacked focus and their healthiness ratings lacked accuracy. The traffic light system helped to guide the attention of the consumer to the important nutrients and improved the accuracy of the healthiness ratings of nutrition labels.ConclusionsConsumers have a lack of knowledge regarding how to interpret nutrition information for standard labels. The traffic light concept helps to ameliorate this problem by indicating important nutrients to which to pay attention.

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