QUESTIONNAIRE

Dear respondent, I am KAYODE GODWIN, a 500 level student Medical student of the University of Lagos. I am
conducting a research on knowledge, attitude and use of food label information in purchasing pre-packaged food
products. Kindly fill the questionnaire honestly and accurately. Be assured that the information you give will be
treated with utmost confidentiality and used for research purpose only. Thank you.

SECTION A: SOCIO-DEMOGRAPHICS

1. Age as at last birthday: 18-25 yrs [ ] 26-40 yrs [ ] 41-60 yrs [ ] Above 60 yrs [ ]
2. Gender: Male [ ] Female [ ]
3. Highest level of education: No formal education [ ] Primary [ ] Secondary [ ] Tertiary [ ]
4. Occupation: ……………………………………………………………………..
5. Estimated monthly income (Naira): None [ ] Below 25,000 [ ] 25,000 - 80,000 [ ] 80,000 -150,000 [ ]
Above 150,000 [ ]

SECTION B: KNOWLEDGE OF FOOD LABEL INFORMATION

6. Are you aware of the labels on food products you buy? Yes [ ] No [ ] Don’t know [ ]

7. How well do you think you understand the information on food labels?
I understand it very much [ ] I fairly understand [ ] I understand very little [ ]
8. Where did you get your knowledge of the information on food labels from? School [ ] Television/radio [ ]
Books/magazines [ ] Internet/social media [ ] Family members/friends [ ] Not sure [ ]

9. Which of the following need to be reduced in our diet because of their possible harmful effect?
Saturated fat Yes [ ] No [ ] Don’t know [ ] Cholesterol Yes [ ] No [ ] Don’t know [ ]
Sugar Yes [ ] No [ ] Don’t know [ ] Polyunsaturated fat Yes [ ] No [ ] Don’t know [ ]
Trans fat Yes [ ] No [ ] Don’t know [ ] Dietary fibre Yes [ ] No [ ] Don’t know [ ]
Sodium Yes [ ] No [ ] Don’t know [ ] Calcium Yes [ ] No [ ] Don’t know [ ]
Iron Yes [ ] No [ ] Don’t know [ ] Monounsaturated fat Yes [ ] No [ ] Don’t know [ ]

10. Food products are still safe to be consumed 2 days after the expiry date. True [ ] False [ ] Don’t know [ ]
11. Eating above the percentage daily values for the nutrients present in food products could have serious
health implications. True [ ] False [ ] Don’t know [ ]
12. The ‘serving size’ is the net weight of the food product. True [ ] False [ ] Don’t know [ ]

SECTION C: ATTITUDE TO FOOD LABEL INFORMATION (Tick as appropriate)

Strongly Agree Not sure Disagree Strongly
Agree disagree
13. Food labels are just for advertisement
14. I’m interested in learning more about food label
information.
15. Ignoring information on food labels could affect
my health
16. The amount of nutritional information on food
labels is too little
17. Food labels are meant to guide me make healthy
food choices
18. It’s hard to understand and interpret the

1
information on food labels
19. The information on food labels are authentic and
trustworthy
20. It is necessary to consciously check for the
nutritional information of any food product before
buying it

SECTION D: USE OF FOOD LABEL INFORMATION

21. Do you read food labels every time you buy a product? Yes [ ] No [ ]
22. If ‘no’, why do you not read food labels every time? Lack of interest [ ] I’m already familiar with the brands
I patronize [ ] I’m not aware of any information on the food packages [ ] I don’t have enough time to read food
labels [ ] I don’t trust the information on the food labels [ ] Other, please
specify………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
23. What motivates you to read food labels? I’m trying to lose weight [ ] My religious belief(s) [ ] My health
problem or that of a family member(s) [ ] I’m just curious to know the characteristics of the food I’m buying [ ]
I’m conscious about eating healthy [ ] To know if the product has expired [ ] Other, please specify………………...

24. When do you read food labels?

When buying certain kinds of food [ ] When buying products for my family [ ] When comparing products [ ]
When buying products for someone with a health problem [ ] Only when buying a product for the first time [ ]

25. What influences your choice the most when considering what food products to buy? (Choose only one
option) Brand name [ ] Price [ ] Taste [ ] Health concern [ ] Appearance and package design [ ]
Convenience [ ] Advertisement [ ] Religious belief [ ] Preference for certain ingredients [ ] Other, please
specify………………………………………………………

26. How often do you read food labels when buying a food product for the first time?
I hardly read them [ ] Once in a while [ ] Often [ ] Every time [ ]

27. What information do you usually check for on food labels?

List of ingredients [ ] Brand name [ ] Expiry date [ ] Manufacture date [ ] Name of the manufacturer [ ] Net
weight [ ] Nutrients information [ ] Storage condition [ ] Instructions for use [ ] Allergen information [ ]
NAFDAC number [ ] Country of origin [ ] Product price [ ] Health claim e.g. “Bromate free” [ ]

28. Which of the following items on the nutrition facts panel are you usually most concerned about?
Energy [ ] Protein [ ] Sugar [ ] Fats [ ] Sodium [ ] Vitamins [ ] Dietary fibre [ ] Cholesterol [ ] Calcium [ ]

29. Does nutritional information on food labels influence what you buy?
Not sure [ ] No [ ] Sometimes [ ] Every time [ ]

30. What difficulties do you encounter when reading food labels?

The write-ups are too small to read [ ] Bad contrast between text and background [ ] Poor layout of the
information [ ] Confusing information [ ] Too much technical terms [ ] Unfamiliar language [ ] Too little
information [ ] I don’t know how to apply the information [ ]
Other, please specify…………………………………………………..............................................