Food labels – status and consumers’ attitude on the Serbian food market

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 204-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilija Djekic ◽  
Nada Smigic
Keyword(s):  
Food Products ◽  
Health Claims ◽  
Food Labels ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Nutritional Information ◽  
The Status ◽  
Sport Activities ◽  
Label Information ◽  
Food Market ◽  
Nutritional Facts

Purpose – This paper aims to present results from a research that analyzed the quality of labels available in the Serbian food market and consumers’ attitudes toward food labels. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 899 food labels have been analyzed in relation to the presence of legally required information, their readability to average consumer and presence of nutritional/health claims and/or nutritional information. In parallel, 400 respondents were interviewed in the survey of consumers’ attitudes regarding labels. Findings – Results revealed that 38.2 per cent of food products hold labels that are not fully readable to average consumers. Regarding basic label information, 11 per cent of foods have missing information in terms of series/lot identification. The majority of the products (87.4 per cent) have only basic nutritional information with 4.6 per cent of products holding nutritional claims. Consumers with active sport activities showed higher awareness of nutritional information. There were no statistically significant differences between smokers and non-smokers regarding their attitudes toward nutritional information. Age and education play a significant role in ranking nutritional facts. The most important nutritional information is fat content, followed by sugar and vitamins. Research limitations/implications – The nature of the study did not allow conclusions regarding causal relationship between food products and consumers as well as if nutritional information affects consumers’ choices and purchasing patronage. Originality/value – The findings of this study are worthy, as they report the Serbian consumers’ understanding of labels and nutritional information as well as the status food labels sold in the Serbian market.

Exploring claims and marketing techniques in Brazilian food labels

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (7) ◽  
pp. 1550-1564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafaela Corrêa Pereira ◽  
Michel Cardoso de Angelis-Pereira ◽  
João de Deus Souza Carneiro
Keyword(s):  
Product Category ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Claims ◽  
Alcoholic Beverages ◽  
Processed Foods ◽  
Nutrition And Health ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Food Market ◽  
Packaged Food ◽  
Nutrition And Health Claims

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the packaged food market in Brazil by examining the use of nutrition and health claims and marketing techniques, as well as the different levels of industrial food processing in relation to product category, nutrition information and price. Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted on the labels of pre-packed foods and non-alcoholic beverages marketed in a home-shopping website in Brazil. Findings The authors showed that the use of nutrition and health claims on packaged foods in Brazil is widespread and varied across different food categories. Marketing techniques were also prevalent, and techniques emphasising general health, well-being or naturalness were the most frequent type used. Overall, products carrying nutrition and health claims and/or using marketing techniques had lower content of fat and higher content of fibre. However, the high prevalence of these strategies in ultra-processed foods is alarming. The presence of health claims and use of marketing techniques was not found to be an effective modifier of the three price measures. However, processed and ultra-processed foods were more expensive than unprocessed foods when considering price per energy and price per 100 g or mL. Originality/value These results indicate that there are clear opportunities to improve the packaged food environment in supermarkets. It is important to highlight the need to develop public policies to address these issues, including restriction of the promotion and advertising of unhealthy foods and beverages and use of warning labels.

Food quality vs food patriotism

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (2) ◽  
pp. 371-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirzobobo Yormirzoev ◽  
Ramona Teuber ◽  
Tongzhe Li
Keyword(s):  
Food Quality ◽  
Food Products ◽  
Russian Government ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Valuation Model ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Food Market ◽  
Imported Food ◽  
The Right ◽  
Domestic Food

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of perceived food quality and consumer ethnocentrism and potential trade-offs between these two concepts in Russian consumers’ food purchase decisions after the implementation of the Russian import ban. Design/methodology/approach Survey data were collected via in-person interviews in the City of Perm, which is one of the largest and most industrial cities in Russia. A double-bounded dichotomous-choice contingent valuation model is utilized to estimate willingness to pay (WTP) and to analyze factors that affect consumers’ choice. Findings The results suggest that most respondents do not consider domestically produced cheese as a risky product in terms of food safety but simply of lower quality than imported cheese. However, the average respondent’s WTP discount for domestic cheese compared to imported cheese is 8 percent, which is relatively small. This corresponds to participants’ opinion that buying domestic cheese is the right thing to do since it supports Russian farmers and producers. The results indicate further that with increasing education and income levels, individuals are less likely to prefer domestically produced cheese for either economic or quality reasons. This effect is stronger for the quality preference. Research limitations/implications The results indicate that if the Russian government aims at expanding the domestic food market further, more attention needs to be paid to ensuring the quality of domestic food products in order to increase consumer acceptance and WTP. Originality/value This is the first study providing empirical evidence on Russian consumers’ attitudes and perceptions of domestically vs imported food products after the implementation of the Russian import ban, which can be considered as an external policy shock.

The contradictions of food labelling policy

1995 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tim Lang
Keyword(s):  
Food Production ◽  
Genetically Modified Organisms ◽  
Quality Standards ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Health Claims ◽  
Food Labelling ◽  
Food Labels ◽  
Market Theory ◽  
Organic Foods ◽  
Nutritional Information

A variety of food labelling issues are reviewed: information about manufacturers' names, quality standards and quality marks, nutritional information, health claims, advertising, additives, genetically modified organisms, pesticides, organic foods, eco-labelling and animal welfare. Some of these issues are reasonably fully reflected in food labels and others not at all. There are different possible explanations for this variation in coverage. There is little consistency of approach to labelling, and there are grounds for questioning whether food labelling is working to the benefit of consumers. Market theory requires consumers to be fully informed for the market to work. But theory and reality are ill-matched because food labelling has itself become a battleground, rather than a tool to enable the market to work. Market theory either needs to be applied or to be changed. Food labelling is not the answer to getting better food, better food production, or even better flows of information. At best, the struggle for more honest labelling can be an educational process in itself.

scholarly journals Does the current Scope of nutrition labelling provided in the Saudi markets cope with the increasing trend of chronic disease?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hoda Jr ◽  
Amal AlMughthem ◽  
Amen A Bawazir
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Disease ◽  
Nutrient Content ◽  
Food Labels ◽  
High Fat ◽  
Nutritional Information ◽  
Nutrition Labelling ◽  
Nutritional Components ◽  
Hydrogenated Fat ◽  
Increasing Trend ◽  
Nutritional Facts

Abstract Background: With increased demand for prepackaged food, the nutrient content of those products has increased especially fat, sugar, and sodium. We aimed to assess the compliance of nutritional labeling and to analyze the stated nutritional components as presented on prepackaged food products in Saudi market. Methods: A total of 1153 foods were randomly sampled from fourteen stores. Nutritional information was taken from nutrient declarations present on food labels and assessed through a comparison of mean levels and assess compliance with Saudi Food and Drug Authority regulations. Results: Overall, of the total number of products surveyed, 88% displayed nutritional facts, while 12% did not. Of the total products that had nutritional facts, only 38% met SFDA requirements while 97% disclosed the four key nutritional elements (energy, carbohydrate, protein and fat). In total, almost one third of the products had a high fat content, 40% were high in sugar and 20% were high in Sodium. We found also, 20% listed hydrogenated fat in their ingredient information, 90% of which was fully hydrogenated, while 10% was partially hydrogenated. Conclusion: There was a high percentage of products that displayed nutritional facts, but only a small percentage complied with SFDA's recent regulations. Food reformulation could have an extraordinary potential to overcome the increase in nutrition-related chronic disease in Saudi Arabia, and the information acquired from this paper provides an overview of thinking about the food supply as a major source needed for a national intervention.

scholarly journals Use of nutritional food labels and consumers’ confidence in label information

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisane Moreno Lorena de SOUSA ◽  
Lize STANGARLIN-FIORI ◽  
Esther Heyde Selke COSTA ◽  
Fernanda FURTADO ◽  
Caroline Opolski MEDEIROS
Keyword(s):  
Public Institution ◽  
Nutrition Labeling ◽  
Food Labels ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Exact Test ◽  
Nutritional Information ◽  
Frequent Use ◽  
Label Information ◽  
Chi Square Test

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.

Nutritional information labels and health claims to promote healthy consumption

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Asuncion Hernandez-Fernandez ◽  
Ines Kuster-Boluda ◽  
Natalia Vila-Lopez
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Food Product ◽  
Health Claims ◽  
Psychological Characteristics ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Nutritional Information ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Nutritional Label ◽  
Product Attitudes

Purpose Rates of diseases caused by poor diet have seen no reduction in recent years. In this scenario, nutritional information labels and health claims could play a decisive role in modifying product attitudes and purchase intention (consequently, eating habits). In this frame, the first objective is to analyze the role of three antecedents on attitudes toward nutritional labels and credibility from health claims. These three starting antecedents are as follows: psychological characteristics of the consumer associated with eating disorders, body image attitudes and affective reactions (pleasure and arousal). Second, this paper aims to analyze if both elements (attitudes toward nutritional labels and credibility from health claims) improve (or not) food product attitudes and then, its purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach The sample comprised 300 young people between 18 and 25 years old. They provided their opinion about a healthy product by completing a structured and personal questionnaire after inspecting the packaging. Path analysis with partial least squares (PLS) was carried out to test the hypotheses stated. Findings First, psychological characteristics associated with eating disorders (self-concept and self-esteem) have a positive significant influence on body image attitudes. Second, attitudes toward their body image have a great effect on the perception that these consumers have about the information provided by healthy food packaging. Insofar as those whose attitudes toward their body image is “damaged” seek in the nutritional label indications that make them feel calm understanding that the food they are going to buy is not harmful to their health. Moreover, credibility from health claims improves positive attitudes toward the nutritional label. On the contrary, those consumers with higher punctuations in body image assigned lower values to those items concerning nutritional information and health claims in the packaging. Third, if attitudes to nutritional information improve, then product attitudes improve too. Fourth, if product attitudes improve, then purchase intention improves too. So, food product managers should be aware of the need to improve product attitudes by working on the packaging (label and claim) to improve purchase intention. Originality/value First, although previous literature has investigated individual psychological characteristics related to food disorders in the health area, the study of these specific individual psychological characteristics (ineffectiveness, perfectionism, interpersonal distrust, interceptive awareness, maturity fears), is under-researched in the marketing discipline. Second, to date, different authors have investigated how important the use of credibility from health claims in packaging can be in terms of increasing product attitudes and purchase intention, as well as the development of positive attitudes toward nutritional information on the label. However, the joint study of both information sources in the packaging (credibility from health claims and attitudes toward nutritional labels) remains under-investigated.

Market structure analysis of health and wellness food products in India

2015 ◽  
Vol 117 (7) ◽  
pp. 1859-1871 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tabassum Ali ◽  
Aftab Alam ◽  
Jabir Ali
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Market Structure ◽  
Market Competition ◽  
Food Products ◽  
Annual Growth ◽  
Market Size ◽  
Annual Growth Rate ◽  
Health And Wellness ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Food Market

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the market structure and level of competition in health and wellness food products by type, category, prime positioning and distribution networks in India. Design/methodology/approach – The study is conducted using secondary data from Euromonitor International. Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) has been calculated for analyzing the market trends in terms of type, category and prime positioning and market competition has been analyzed using Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI). Analysis of variance has been used for analyzing the statistical difference in market competition. Findings – Consumer purchase behavior for food is significantly changing across the world and consumers are becoming increasingly conscious of the health enhancing properties of food. With growing incidences of problems like obesity, diabetes, coronary heart diseases and foodborne diseases, consumers are becoming aware of the role of food in ensuring health and well-being. There have been significant structural changes in the health and wellness food market compositions and India has huge market potential for health and wellness food products with a market size of Rs. 435 billion in 2013 and growing at a significantly high annual growth rate of about 13.8 percent during 2002-2013. HHI results clearly indicate that there is significant competition in the health and wellness food market with average HHI of 0.19. However, the structure of market competition shows a varied trend across the types, categories, prime-positioning and distribution channels of health and wellness food products. Practical implications – Results of the study provide a better understanding of temporal as well as intra-category changes in market size of health and wellness food products and the competitiveness of the health and wellness food market, providing valuable insights to the companies involved in producing and marketing of health and wellness food products in India. Originality/value – Health and wellness food market is an emerging area for the marketer and there are limited analysis on market structure and competition.

Comparative practices of food label claims from US, EU and selected Southeast Asian countries

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (7) ◽  
pp. 530-541 ◽  
Author(s):  
May O. Lwin
Keyword(s):  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Food Products ◽  
Southeast Asian ◽  
Food Labels ◽  
Food Label ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Southeast Asian Countries

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to fulfil gaps in knowledge regarding food packaging practices in Southeast Asia by examining the informational content of food labels on a variety of packaged foods. Design/methodology/approach – Using local and imported food products found in supermarkets in Singapore, a quantitative content analysis of food label claims in a wide range of packaged food products was conducted. A codebook was developed to capture the attributes of the food labels and claims, content categories, product names, food categories, sources of manufacture and countries of brand origin. The three main regions of analysis of country of manufacture were the USA, European Union (EU) and Southeast Asia. Findings – Analysis of food products manufactured in five Southeast Asian countries revealed the presence of various claims in food products, and a number of specific claims exceeded the percentages found in products from the USA or EU. The results showed that a significant proportion of products from Southeast Asian countries display nutrient content and nutrient function claims, as well as general marketing claims and non-nutrient claims. However, there were variations in practice amongst the five Southeast Asian countries. Research limitations/implications – The sample was limited in being collected from one geographic location. Future research needs to expand data collection both geographically and longitudinally. Practical implications – The findings are valuable for the national health authorities in addressing policies on food package labelling, and homogenization efforts pertaining to regional/international labelling policies. These in turn could influence food marketing practices. Social implications – The findings are useful in crafting educational programming and guidelines for health and nutrition education. Originality/value – This research is the first to explore food labelling practices in multiple Southeast Asian countries and compare them cross-sectionally with EU and US practices.

Effect of nutritional information and health claims related to cashew nut and soya milk beverages on consumers’ acceptance and perception

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 721-730 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Cabral Rebouças ◽  
Maria do Carmo Passos Rodrigues ◽  
Silvia Maria de Freitas ◽  
Bruno Burnier Arcanjo Ferreira ◽  
Vanderson da Silva Costa
Keyword(s):  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Nutritional Value ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Healthy Food ◽  
Health Claims ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Nutritional Information ◽  
Soya Milk ◽  
Cashew Nut ◽  
Nutritional Characteristics

Purpose The number of researches that evaluate how behavioural and personality issues affect consumers’ acceptance and perception of food is increasing. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of nutritional information and health claims related to soya and cashew nut beverages over consumers’ acceptance and perception regarding nutritional value and healthiness and to verify whether behavioural and personality issues affect such evaluation. Design/methodology/approach The samples were evaluated in two phases, with (blind phase) and without information (informed phase) about their composition, nutritional characteristics and functional claims related to some of their ingredients. The sensory evaluation data were analysed by means of the analysis of variance for repeated measures, applying 2 (information) × 2 (beverage) and generalised linear model to evaluate the effect of information over the acceptance averages, as well as over the perception of healthy food and nutritional value. Findings Information on composition, nutritional characteristics and functional claims related to the cashew nut and soya beverages did not influence flavour acceptance (p-value = 0.250) and overall impression (p-value = 0.316), but had a positive impact on consumers’ perception regarding healthiness (p-value < 0.001) and nutritious value (p-value < 0.001) of both beverages, the cashew nut beverage being perceived as more nutritious and healthier than the soya beverage. Consumers’ different characteristics with respect to their interest in healthy eating (high and low) and food neophobia (neophiliacs and neophobics) did not have any influence on the beverages’ acceptance, as well as on the perception of healthy food and nutritious value. Originality/value This work compares consumers’ acceptance and perception regarding nutritional value and healthiness with relation a totally unique product in the Brazilian market, and in the world, a new functional beverage made from cashew nuts, with a soya-milk beverage. Until this moment, there are no studies comparing consumer acceptance and perception of products based on hydrosoluble extract-base added with fruit juice which evaluate the influence of behavioural and personality characteristics of consumers in their perception and acceptance towards these products.

scholarly journals Heart Images on Food Labels: A Health Claim or Not?

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 643
Author(s):  
Krista Miklavec ◽  
Maša Hribar ◽  
Anita Kušar ◽  
Igor Pravst
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Preferences ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Food Products ◽  
Health Claims ◽  
Food Labels ◽  
Food Label ◽  
Health Claim ◽  
Health Related

Health claims on food labels are used by food manufacturers to inform consumers about the health effects of a product, and such claims can have notable effects on consumer preferences. According to regulatory definitions, health claims can be either worded or presented as images, but it is not clear under which conditions an image on a food label should be considered a health claim. This question has important practical implications, as the use of health claims is strictly regulated. The objective of this study was to determine how commonly images of the heart are used on food labels, and to investigate consumers’ perceptions of products labelled with heart images, using different degrees of health relationships. Both a food supply study (N = 10,573 foods) and experiments with consumers (N = 1000) were performed in Slovenia. The use of heart imagery on food products was very common (9%). The consumer study was conducted using a web panel. Structure of the study population was comparable with Slovenian adult population (18–65 years), according to gender and age. The questionnaire was split into conjoint analysis with constructed elements, a choice-based task with real-life elements and a consumers’ association task. The experiments showed that a heart image as part of the brand name itself—without an additional (worded) health claim—did not cause most consumers to relate it to health. However, consumers tended to strongly relate an image of the heart as part of a brand with health benefits, where the image was accompanied by a worded health claim or if the heart image was designed specifically to imply health benefits. We can conclude that the use of heart images was very common on food products, but references to health were less common. Without a health-related context, heart images could not be considered as a health claim.

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