The impact of front of package label design on consumer understanding of nutrient amounts among residents of the urban area in Chennai

Abstract

The producer, selling and utilisation of packed nourishments have supported a preeminent flood lately in India. Food labelling is one of the vital populationbased methods that can help customers make beneficial food selections by offering essential information about the food on the packaging. The present study aims to assess the impact of front of package label design on consumer understanding of nutrient amounts among residents of the urban area in Chennai. A cross-sectional study was conducted in an urban area in Chennai. Four hundred participants were studied by convenient sampling method. Participants were from 18 years age and above. The study duration was about three months. A pretested and semi-structured questionnaire was given, and the desired information was elicited. Data was then analysed with the help of statistical package for the social sciences software (SPSS). Chi-square test was done to test the significance (p<0.05). The mean age was of the participants was found to be 27.52 ± 11 SD. About 63% of participants preferred packed foods over unpacked foods. And 68% of participants have nutritional knowledge and looked into nutrition facts on the back of the pack. Association of gender and socioeconomic class with knowledge of participants were found to be insignificant. Association of occupation with the frequency of purchasing packed food products was significant. Many people look into the nutrition facts table and do not understand and fail to interpret. It is important to provide front of pack labels for better understanding of the consumers.