These are the two articles. I essentially just need words for 2 powerpoint slides (only 2) plus anough enough info on the speech to cover 2-3 minutes on each topic. The two topics are:
Food labels effecting customer purchasing
cultural differences in food labels
International Journal of Public Health and Medical Research
ISSN: 3006-7707 (Print), ISSN: 3006-3752 (Online) | Volume 1, Number 2, Year 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.62051/ijphmr.v1n2.03
Journal homepage: https://wepub.org/index.php/IJPHMR/index
Content from this work may be used under the terms of CC BY-NC 4.0 licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).
Published by Warwick Evans Publishing.
WEP Warwick
Evans
Publishing
The Impact of Food Nutrition Labels on Consumer Behavior: A Cross-national Survey and Quantitative Analysis
Xiaoying Wang
New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
ABSTRACT
This study explores the impact of food nutrition labels on consumer behavior through a cross- national survey and quantitative analysis. Globally, food nutrition labels have become an essential reference for consumers when choosing food products, and their significance is increasingly evident. Firstly, we found that the accuracy of food nutrition labels significantly influences consumer behavior. Accurate label information helps consumers make informed purchasing decisions, choosing healthier and more nutritious foods. However, inaccurate or misleading label information can lead to consumer misunderstanding, potentially triggering unhealthy eating habits or excessive intake of certain nutrients. Secondly, the readability and comprehensibility of food nutrition labels are also crucial factors affecting consumer behavior. Labels that are easy to read and understand provide more authentic and accurate product nutrition information, helping consumers quickly grasp the main ingredients and nutritional value of foods. Therefore, when designing food labels, manufacturers should focus on improving information readability and comprehensibility to facilitate consumer access to the required information. Furthermore, our research indicates that health claims and nutrition facts tables on food nutrition labels positively guide consumers' health awareness. An increasing number of consumers are beginning to pay attention to the nutritional content and health value of foods, preferring those labeled with health claims or nutrition facts tables. These labels not only provide scientific dietary advice to consumers but also help them control calorie intake and maintain healthy eating habits. In the cross-national survey, we also observed variations in consumer attention to food nutrition labels across different countries and regions. In developed countries, consumers tend to place a higher emphasis on food labels, whereas in developing countries, due to a lack of nutritional knowledge, consumer attention to food labels is relatively low. Therefore, manufacturers and governments should tailor strategies to increase consumer awareness and utilization of food nutrition labels based on the characteristics of consumers in different regions. Finally, quantitative analysis further confirms the impact of food nutrition labels on consumer purchasing decisions. Information on labels, such as calorie content, fat, fiber, sugar, etc., can help consumers make more scientific and reasonable choices for their food products. Meanwhile, health slogans and related certification marks on labels can increase consumer recognition of the product's health value, thereby enhancing their willingness to purchase. In summary, food nutrition labels have a profound impact on consumer behavior. To ensure that consumers can make informed purchasing decisions, manufacturers and governments should strive to improve the accuracy, readability, and comprehensibility of food nutrition labels, and strengthen the popularization and education of related knowledge.
KEYWORDS
Food nutrition labels; Consumer behavior; Cross-national survey; Quantitative analysis
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1. INTRODUCTION
2.1. Research Background and Significance
Amidst the global enhancement of health awareness, food nutrition labels serve as crucial tools for
conveying nutritional information and health claims, profoundly influencing consumers' purchasing
decisions. However, further exploration is needed to understand how nutrition labels specifically
affect consumer behavior and the variations of this impact across different countries and regions.
Additionally, with the globalization of the market economy and the internationalization of commodity
circulation, differences in food nutrition labeling regulations and standards among countries may also
influence consumer purchasing behavior. Therefore, this study aims to comprehensively reveal the
mechanism of the impact of food nutrition labels on consumer behavior through a cross-national
survey and quantitative analysis. This not only holds significant theoretical value, enriching and
improving consumer behavior theory to provide theoretical support for nutrition label design and
related policy formulation, but also has far-reaching practical implications. It can offer more effective
dietary guidance to consumers, provide a basis for government policy-making, help food companies
more accurately grasp market demand, enhance product competitiveness, and promote the healthy
development of the entire food industry[1].
2.2. 1.2 Research Methods and Data Sources
This study employs a mixed methodology, combining qualitative and quantitative research
approaches to delve into the impact of food nutrition labels on consumer behavior. Initially, through
extensive literature review, we sort out existing theories and research on food nutrition labels and
consumer behavior, laying a theoretical foundation for subsequent empirical research. Subsequently,
a detailed questionnaire survey is designed, targeting consumers from different countries to collect
large-scale data. The content includes basic consumer information, shopping habits, attention to food
nutrition labels, understanding and usage, etc. To gain deeper insights into consumer perspectives,
we also select a representative group of consumers for in-depth interviews. Meanwhile, statistical
software such as SPSS and AMOS is utilized to analyze the collected data, revealing the intrinsic
connection between food nutrition labels and consumer behavior. Data sources encompass publicly
available data, survey data, interview records, and retail and sales data obtained through collaboration
with retailers. This information not only provides a macro background and industry trends but also
directly reflects consumers' cognition and usage of food nutrition labels, as well as the impact of
labels on sales volume. By integrating these methods and data sources, this study aims to
comprehensively and deeply explore the influence of food nutrition labels on consumer behavior,
aiming to provide a scientific basis for policy formulation and marketing.
2. OVERVIEW OF FOOD NUTRITION LABELS
2.1. Definition and Function of Food Nutrition Labels
Food nutrition labels are explanations of the nutritional characteristics on food labels, including
nutritional fact tables and additional nutritional fact tables. They are the simplest and most direct way
for consumers to understand food nutrition information and acquire nutritional knowledge.
Specifically, food nutrition labels must indicate the content of nutrients and their percentage of the
Nutrient Reference Values (NRV), commonly known as the "1+4" rule. This means that the
nutritional information on the label must include the content and NRV percentage of energy and four
core nutrients (protein, fat, carbohydrates, and sodium).The primary functions of food nutrition labels
are to guide and standardize the labeling of food nutrition, ensuring that the nutritional information
on food labels is authentic, objective, and credible, in compliance with the national standard "General
Principles for Nutrition Labeling of Prepackaged Foods."(as Figure 1) Additionally, they aim to guide
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consumers in making informed choices about prepackaged foods by clearly and accurately displaying
the nutritional composition and information of foods, helping consumers understand the nutritional
characteristics of foods and make wiser purchasing decisions. Furthermore, they promote public
dietary nutrition balance and physical health. The popularization and use of nutrition labels help raise
awareness of nutritional knowledge, guiding people to form healthy eating habits, thereby promoting
dietary nutrition balance and physical health. The utmost importance lies in protecting consumers'
right to know and choose. Nutrition labels provide consumers with essential food nutrition
information, enabling them to have a more comprehensive understanding of food ingredients and
characteristics, thereby protecting their right to know and choose. Food nutrition labels play a crucial
role in assisting consumers in purchasing foods, understanding food nutrition information, and
protecting their rights and interests [1, 2].
Figure 1. General Principles for Nutrition Labeling of Prepackaged Foods
2.2. International Standards and Differences in Food Nutrition Labels
The international standards and differences in food nutrition labels primarily manifest in varying
content, formats, and labeling requirements across different countries and regions. The Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States requires specific labeling standards, mandating the
inclusion of total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrates, dietary fiber, sugar,
protein content, as well as vitamins and minerals on the label. The European Union (EU) has
established standards that require food packaging to include nutrition labels. Labels must list the
food's energy value, fat, saturated fat, sugar, salt, and protein content. China's Food Safety Law
requires that food packaging must indicate the nutritional fact table. The label should include the
food's total energy, protein, fat, saturated fat, trans fat, carbohydrates, sugar, sodium, and cholesterol
content. Moreover, different countries and regions may formulate different nutrition labeling
requirements based on factors such as economic strength, implementation difficulty, reading ability
of the population, and corporate execution capabilities. For instance, some countries may demand the
indication of more nutrients, while others may only require the indication of basic nutrients. Overall,
although there are differences in the specific requirements of food nutrition labels among countries,
the common goal is to provide accurate, comprehensive, and easy-to-understand nutritional
information so that consumers can make informed food choices. At the same time, these standards
contribute to the healthy development of the food industry, improving food quality and safety.
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2.3. Development Trends of Food Nutrition Labels
Firstly, the trend is toward comprehensiveness and transparency of information. Future food nutrition
labels will not be limited to basic ingredients and nutrients but will also include more detailed
information such as food processing techniques and place of origin. This will help consumers have a
more comprehensive understanding of the safety and authenticity of foods.
To enhance the reading experience and convenience for consumers, food nutrition labels will
increasingly adopt visual forms such as charts and images to display the nutritional content of foods.
This intuitive approach will enable consumers to quickly understand the nutritional value of foods.
Secondly, the establishment of a traceability system is essential. As consumers' demands for food
safety and quality increase, future food nutrition labels will be connected to a food traceability system.
Consumers can inquire about the production process, supply chain, and other information of foods
by scanning the QR code on the label, thereby enhancing trust in foods. Moreover, the application of
intelligent technology in food nutrition label supervision will become increasingly common. For
example, by utilizing QR code or barcode technology, consumers can easily obtain detailed
nutritional information and ingredient lists, improving the readability and comprehensibility of labels.
Most importantly, the authenticity of information will be strengthened. Given the frequent occurrence
of food safety issues in recent years, regulatory authorities will further strengthen the supervision of
label content authenticity, increasing efforts to crack down on false advertising and misleading
consumer behavior to protect consumers' rights and interests. The development trend of food nutrition
labels will focus more on the comprehensiveness, transparency, and visualization of information.
Simultaneously, intelligent technology will be utilized to improve the readability and authenticity of
labels to meet consumers' demands for food safety and nutritional information [3].
3. THEORETICAL BASIS OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
3.1. Consumer Decision-making Process
The consumer decision-making process is a complex one involving multiple stages and factors. This
process begins when a consumer recognizes a problem or need, gathers relevant information to
evaluate different options, and ultimately makes a purchase decision. Problem recognition:
Consumers first identify and understand their needs or problems, which may be based on internal
motivations (such as hunger or thirst) or external stimuli (such as advertising or recommendations
from others).Once a problem is identified, consumers begin to gather information from various
sources, including personal experience, advice from friends and family, product reviews, advertising,
and social media. This information helps consumers understand the characteristics, prices,
performance, and other aspects of different brands and products. After collecting enough information,
consumers evaluate different options, comparing the advantages and disadvantages of various brands
or products, and considering factors such as price, quality, performance, and reputation. Finally,
consumers choose one or more brands or products based on their needs and preferences. After
determining the brand or product to purchase, consumers further consider where to buy it. This may
involve comparing prices, services, convenience, and other factors across different stores. Once a
decision is made, consumers proceed with the purchase. After the purchase, consumers use and
evaluate the product. If the product meets expectations, consumers may feel satisfied and recommend
it to others; if it does not, they may feel disappointed and consider switching brands or products. Post-
purchase evaluation also affects consumers' future purchase decisions. Purchase involvement is an
important influencing factor in the consumer decision-making process. It refers to the degree of
interest or concern that consumers have in the decision-making process due to a specific purchase
need. Different levels of purchase involvement can lead to different decision types, such as nominal
decision-making (low involvement, simple purchase), limited decision-making (medium involvement,
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requiring some comparison and selection), and extended decision-making (high involvement,
requiring in-depth research and consideration).
In addition, the consumer decision-making process is influenced by various factors, including
personal experience, family influence, reference groups, and cultural factors. These factors play an
important role in the process of consumers gathering information, evaluating options, and making
final decisions. Understanding the consumer decision-making process helps companies better
understand consumer needs and behaviors, enabling them to develop more effective marketing and
product strategies. By providing products and services that meet consumer needs and expectations,
companies can improve consumer satisfaction and loyalty, thereby enhancing their market share and
competitiveness.
3.2. Consumer Perception and Attitude
Consumer perception refers to the process by which consumers process, analyze, and interpret
external information about a product in the market, ultimately forming a specific understanding of
the product. This process involves a series of information gathering, interpretation, and integration,
including perception, sensation, imagination, memory, and thinking. Consumers' ability to process
and interpret information is key to the cognitive process, with information sources potentially
including personal experience, recommendations from friends and family, sales techniques used by
marketing personnel, product packaging text descriptions, and mass media such as television
advertisements. Consumer attitude, on the other hand, represents an individual's relatively stable
psychological reaction tendency towards a particular object, encompassing cognitive evaluation,
emotional response, and behavioral tendency. Specifically, attitude consists of three main
components: cognitive, affective, and behavioral. The cognitive component is composed of
consumers' beliefs about a particular object, representing their evaluation of the attitude object and
forming the foundation of their attitude. The affective component reflects consumers' feelings or
emotional reactions towards an object, which is closely related to their behavior. The behavioral
component is the external manifestation of consumers' attitudes, representing their reaction tendency
towards relevant goods and services. In the shopping decision-making process, consumers' perception
and attitude interact and influence each other. Consumers' perception of a product affects their attitude
towards it, which in turn influences their purchase decisions and behaviors. Therefore, businesses and
merchants need to deeply understand consumers' perception and attitude during the market promotion
and product sales process to better meet consumer needs, enhance brand image, and promote product
sales. Additionally, various factors influence consumers' perception and attitude, including age,
gender, culture, occupation, personal economic factors, and more. These factors can lead different
consumers to have different perceptions and attitudes towards the same product (as figure1 and
figure2). When formulating market strategies, enterprises should fully consider these differences to
more effectively target different consumer groups for market promotion. Consumer perception and
attitude are integral parts of consumer behavior research, playing a significant role in understanding
consumer behavior, predicting market trends, and formulating effective market strategies [1, 4].
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Figure 2. Propensity score distribution and common support area for direct impact assessment
Figure 3. Propensity score distribution and common support area for spillover effect assessment.
4. CROSS-NATIONAL SURVEY DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION
4.1. Survey Respondents and Sample Selection
Selecting survey respondents and samples is crucial when conducting a cross-national survey on the
impact of food nutrition labels on consumer behavior.
The survey respondents primarily include consumers across multiple countries, particularly those
who pay attention to food nutrition labels and make purchase decisions based on them. Due to cultural
backgrounds, consumption habits, and economic conditions varying among different countries, the
survey respondents should possess a certain level of representativeness to reflect consumer behavior
characteristics in various countries and regions. The samples should come from diverse countries and
regions to ensure the cross-national and universal nature of the survey results. When selecting samples,
factors such as the economic development level, cultural background, and consumption habits of each
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country should be fully considered. The sample size should be sufficiently large to ensure the
accuracy and reliability of the survey results. Meanwhile, the sample size should be adjusted
according to the actual situations in different countries and regions. The samples should possess a
certain level of representativeness, reflecting the demand and behavior characteristics of consumers
across different age groups, genders, occupations, and income levels. Additionally, consumers with
specific consumption habits or those who pay attention to food nutrition labels can be selected as
samples based on the research objectives. During the sampling process, methods such as random
sampling and stratified sampling can be employed to ensure the representativeness and randomness
of the samples. Meanwhile, appropriate sampling methods should be selected based on the actual
situations in different countries and regions. When conducting cross-national surveys, the linguistic
and cultural differences among different countries should be fully considered. It may be necessary to
design multi-language versions of the survey questionnaire and adapt it to the local cultural
background and consumption habits. Legal policies regarding food nutrition labels may vary among
countries (as Table 1). Therefore, it is essential to fully understand and comply with local laws and
regulations during the survey process. To ensure the accuracy and reliability of the survey results,
strict data quality control measures should be implemented, including questionnaire design, data
collection, data processing, and analysis. Selecting appropriate survey respondents and samples is
crucial for conducting a cross-national survey on the impact of food nutrition labels on consumer
behavior (as Table 1). Through scientific sampling methods and strict data quality control, the
accuracy and reliability of the survey results can be ensured, providing strong support for relevant
policy formulation and business decision-making.
Table 1. Key Elements and Considerations
Key Elements and
Considerations
Description
Survey Respondents Consumers across multiple countries, particularly those
attentive to food nutrition labels
Sample Diversity Respondents from diverse countries, economic backgrounds,
cultures, and consumption habits
Sample Size Sufficiently large to ensure accurate and reliable survey results
Sampling Methods Random sampling, stratified sampling
Linguistic and Cultural
Considerations
Design multi-language versions of the survey, adapt to local
culture and habits
Legal Policies Compliance with local laws and regulations regarding food
nutrition labels
Data Quality Control Measures include questionnaire design, data collection,
processing, and analysis
4.2. Survey Tools and Questionnaire Design
Conducting a cross-national survey on the impact of food nutrition labels on consumer behavior
requires the use of effective survey tools and carefully designed questionnaires to ensure data
accuracy and reliability. The first step is to determine the survey method. Online survey platforms
can facilitate cross-national surveys and collect large amounts of data. These platforms often support
multiple languages, adapting to the linguistic environments of different countries. Social media and
online forums are important channels for obtaining consumer opinions and feedback. Monitoring and
analyzing discussions on these platforms can provide insights into consumers' attitudes and behaviors
regarding food nutrition labels. Collaborating with professional market research institutions can offer
more comprehensive and in-depth cross-national survey services, including sample selection, data
collection, and analysis. When designing the questionnaire, the survey's purpose and research
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questions should be clarified first to ensure that the questionnaire content specifically collects the
required information. In cross-national surveys, cultural backgrounds and consumption habits can
lead to variations in consumers' understanding and use of food nutrition labels. Therefore, the
questionnaire design should consider these differences and avoid using terminology and expressions
that may cause misunderstanding or ambiguity. The questionnaire should include various types of
questions, such as multiple-choice and open-ended questions, to gather rich data. The order of the
questions should follow a logical sequence, progressing from simple to complex and general to
specific. For cross-national surveys, the questionnaire needs to be translated into multiple languages.
During the translation process, semantic accuracy and fluent expression should be ensured, and
professionals should proofread the translations to avoid misunderstandings due to language issues. In
the questionnaire design, participants should be clearly informed about the purpose and use of data
collection, and appropriate measures should be taken to protect their privacy and data security. Before
the formal survey, a pre-test should be conducted to assess the questionnaire's validity and reliability.
Based on the pre-test results, necessary revisions and improvements can be made to the questionnaire.
Appropriate data analysis tools should be selected to process and analyze the collected data, extracting
useful information and conclusions.
Conducting a cross-national survey on the impact of food nutrition labels on consumer behavior
requires a combination of various survey tools and a carefully designed questionnaire (as Table 2).
Through scientific methods and a rigorous approach, accurate and reliable data can be obtained,