Factors affecting use and understanding of nutrition information on food labels: Evidences from consumers

In the past years, European population has experienced an increase in several chronic diseases linked to dietary and lifestyle factors. In particular obesity is increasing at an alarming rate all over Europe, while warnings about its diffusion have intensified. As a result nutrition-related measures are highly ranked in the agenda of the European Union political priorities. Specifically, at the end of 2011 the EU introduced new rules on food labelling requirements by adding a nutritional declaration. In this context the current paper explores factors affecting use and understanding of nutrition information on food labels in Italy and provides potentially useful assistance for the implementation of new nutrition labelling. Results of a direct survey on a random sample of 400 food shoppers identifies different profiles of consumers, through the use of PCA and Cluster Analysis. Main findings reveal the need to focus primarily on education campaigns and provide specific indications for developers and marketers as well as government bodies that are interested in designing consumer communication strategies and effective health programs.