Knowledge, Attitude and Use of Food Label Information in Purchasing Pre-Packaged Food Products Among Consumers in Surulere Local Government Area

KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND USE OF FOOD LABEL INFORMATION IN
PURCHASING PRE-PACKAGED FOOD PRODUCTS AMONG CONSUMERS IN

SURULERE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND USE OF FOOD

LABEL INFORMATION IN PURCHASING PRE-
PACKAGED FOOD PRODUCTS AMONG
CONSUMERS IN SURULERE LOCAL
GOVERNMENT
Submitted by
KAYODE Godwin Oluwasheun
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To the
DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY HEALTH AND
PRIMARY CARE, COLLEGE OF MEDICINE,
UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS
In partial fulfillment of the requirement of the award

of the MBBS degree
NOVEMBER 2016
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KAYODE, Godwin Oluwasheun
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DECLARATION
I KAYODE Godwin Oluwasheun hereby declare that this project titled Knowledge, attitude
and use of food label information in purchasing pre-packaged food products among
consumers in Surulere local government area was carried out by me under the supervision of
DR. FOLU OLATONA. I also declare that it has not been submitted either in part or in full for
any other examination.
RESEARCHER SIGNATURE
KAYODE GODWIN OLUWASHEUN …………………………….
DATE …………………………………
SUPERVISOR SIGNATURE
DR. FOLU OLATONA …………………………
DATE …………………………………….
ASSESSOR SIGNATURE
MR. O. J. AKINSOLA …………………………….
DATE …………………………………..
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DEDICATION
This project is dedicated to God my heavenly Father, whose love and grace towards me are
unconditional and unending. The completion of this project would not been if not for the help
of His Holy Spirit who was with me all through the several hours and sleepless nights of
working on this project – encouraging, strengthening and guiding me all the while.
I am also full of gratitude and deep appreciation to my parents, Pastor and Mrs. Kolawole
Kayode and my sister Kayode Bolanle, for being loving and understanding. I am very
grateful for the wise counsel you gave me and the earnest prayers you made for the successful
completion of this project.
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CERTIFICATION
I certify that the research project titled Knowledge, attitude and use of food label information
in purchasing pre-packaged food products among consumers in Surulere local government
area was carried out by KAYODE Godwin Oluwasheun under my supervision.
SUPERVISOR SIGNATURE
DR. FOLU OLATONA ………………………….
DATE …………………………………..
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I specially acknowledge my supervisor, Dr. Folu Olatona for her motherly and expert
guidance without which this project would have been impossible.
I would also like to thank my lovely parents for their support and all they have invested in
bringing out the best in me. I am very thankful to you. Also, to my sister Kayode Bolanle,
thank you so much for your support and prayers.
To my friends Babalola Ifeoluwa Emmanuel and Omowa Oluwaseyi Bolaji who kindly
assisted me during the data collection phase, thank you so much for your sacrifice. God
reward you richly.
I owe a special appreciation to my colleagues Oshodi Moboluwaduro, Odediran David and
Ahmadu Solomon. Thank you very much for guiding me through the analysis of the results of
this study. I am immensely grateful to you.
To all my friends too numerous to mention who helped me in one way or the other in this
project, I am very grateful. God bless you.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
DECLARATION.......................................................................................................................ii
DEDICATION..........................................................................................................................iii
CERTIFICATION....................................................................................................................iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.........................................................................................................v
TABLE OF CONTENTS..........................................................................................................vi
LIST OF TABLES...................................................................................................................vii
ABBREVIATIONS..................................................................................................................ix
SUMMARY...............................................................................................................................x
CHAPTER ONE........................................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................1
GENERAL AND SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES.............................................................................6
CHAPTER TWO.......................................................................................................................7
LITERATURE REVIEW...........................................................................................................7
CHAPTER THREE..................................................................................................................32
METHODOLOGY...................................................................................................................32
CHAPTER FOUR....................................................................................................................37
RESULTS................................................................................................................................37
DISCUSSION..........................................................................................................................58
CONCLUSION........................................................................................................................65
RECOMMENDATION...........................................................................................................66
REFERENCES.........................................................................................................................67
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LIST OF TABLES
Table 1 Socio-demographic characteristics of respondents.....................................................37
Table 2 Socio-demographic characteristics of respondents.................................................... 38
Table 3 Respondents’ subjective knowledge of food label information................................. 39
Table 4 Source of knowledge about food label information....................................................39
Table 5 Respondents’ correct knowledge of food constituents that should be reduced in diet
for health concerns………………………………………………….......................................40
Table 6 Respondents’ correct knowledge of food constituents that should not be reduced in
diet for health their benefits......................................................................................................41
Table 7 Respondents’ correct knowledge about expiry date, percentage daily values and
serving size……………….......................................................................................................41
Table 8 Knowledge grade of respondents................................................................................42
Table 9 Respondents’ attitude to food label information….....................................................43
Table 10 Attitude grade of respondents……………………...................................................44
Table 11 Respondents’ use of food label information every time they buy a product……….45
Table 12 Respondents’ reason for not reading food labels every time....................................40
Table 13 Respondents’ motivation for reading food label information……...........................46
Table 14 Circumstances in which respondents usually read food
labels.........................................................................................................................................47
Table 15 Most important factor influencing respondents’ purchasing choice.........................48
Table 16 Respondents’ use of food label information when purchasing a product for the first
time…………………………………………………………………………………………...49
Table 17 Information respondents usually check for on food labels...................................... 50
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Table 18 Food constituents which respondents are usually concerned about…......................51
Table 19 Influence of nutritional information on respondents’ purchasing choice.................52
Table 20 Grading of respondents’ use of food label information........................................... 52
Table 21 Difficulties encountered by respondents in reading food labels...............................53
Table 22 Table of association between socio-demographics and knowledge grade................54
Table 24 Table of association between socio-demographics and attitude grade..............…...55
Table 25 Table of association between socio-demographics and grading of respondents’ use
of food label information……………………………………………………………………..56
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ABBREVIATIONS
RDA – Recommended Dietary Allowance
WHO – World Health Organization
GDA – Guideline Daily Amount
NAFDAC – National Agency For Food And Drug Administration And Control
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SUMMARY
Objectives: With production and consumption of pre-packaged food products on the increase
in many developing countries, food labelling is a valuable tool in protecting and promoting
public health by providing consumers with information that helps them make informed
decision as to what to purchase. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude and use of
food label information in purchasing pre-packaged food products among consumers in
Surulere local government area.
Method: This was a cross-sectional and descriptive study which employed a multistage
sampling method to select 237 residents of Surulere local government area. Data was
collected using structured self-administered questionnaires and analyzed using Epi info
version 7.
Results: Majority of respondents (61.2%) were males while 38.8% were females. 1.7% had
no formal education, 6.8% had primary school education, 40.5% had secondary school
education, while 51.0% had tertiary education. The respondents were classified into 3
knowledge grades; ‘poor’, ‘fair’ and ‘good’ based on their responses to questions on the
information on food labels. 68.0% of respondents had poor knowledge of food label
information. The attitude of majority (90.7%) of the respondents to food label information
was generally positive. However, majority (78.5%) of the respondents had poor use of food
label information. Only 35.9% of respondents regularly read food labels, and only 15.6%
regularly utilized the information on food labels in deciding what to purchase.
Conclusion: Majority of the study population had poor knowledge and use of food label
information in purchasing pre-packaged food products despite having a positive attitude to
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food label information. There is need for increased nutritional education of the study
population to improve their nutritional knowledge and their knowledge and use of food label
information.
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
With rapid industrialization all over the world and advancements made in food science and
technology, there has been an increase in production and demand for processed and
manufactured food products.1 However, the impact that food products (wholesome or
unwholesome) could have on consumers’ health necessitates the provision of information
about them so that individuals can make informed decision as to what to purchase, hence the
importance of food labels.
Food labels are any written, printed or graphic matter that are present on the container (bottle,
can, wrapper etc) of pre-packaged foods which provide information about the food products1
such as their nutritional value, constituent ingredients, manufacturer, expiry date etc. Food
labelling (according to Collins English dictionary) is the practice of providing such
information about food products on labels.
Food labels have been adopted by several countries as a means of measuring and ensuring
food quality and safety,2 and they are commonly seen on a variety of pre-packaged food
products which include bread, dairy products, canned meat, canned fish, beverages, soft
drinks etc, and the importance of food labels cannot be overemphasized. This because food
labelling is a valuable tool in protecting and promoting public health3, 4 as it provides
nutritional information which enable consumers to make informed choices on their diets. It
also promotes consumption of balanced diet.1
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With the trend of increasing production and consumption of pre-packaged food products in
the world including Nigeria as well (which has been majorly due to industrialization and
improvements in food technology), 3 the vital role food labeling is justified in that it ensures
that consumers of food products have sufficient information of the nutritional value as well as
possible health risks of consuming any food product (if any). Food labeling assists consumers
in healthy eating with their freedom of choice of products retained. 5 Food labeling is also a
useful medium for conveying health messages on nutrition and diet to consumers,6 thereby
promoting public health.
Food labels provide information to consumers in written form, which implies that consumers
must first be aware of the presence of the food label as well as its importance. It is also
necessary that consumers are aware that food could impact greatly on health positively or
negatively, and based on this awareness, consumers are supposed to be health-conscious and
therefore carefully read the information written on the food label.
However, although majority of consumers are aware of the existence of food labels, there has
been a low level of health consciousness3 among consumers which has resulted in failure to
read and utilize information on food labels. Many times, due to haste, food labels are ignored
and not paid attention to at the point of purchase.
In Nigeria, due to the high illiteracy rate,7 many cannot read the information stated on food
labels. Even among those who are literates, not many have good nutritional knowledge to
properly understand and interpret food label information. Sometimes, even among those who
are literate and have nutritional knowledge, there is poor attitude to food label information as
some still do not read or use the knowledge obtained from the food labels to make informed
choice on what they consume. This is usually due to avoidance of inconvenience, high cost or
due to taste preferences.3

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A study done in 2013 in Koforidua, Ghana revealed that only 22% of the study respondents
answered correctly when asked to explain “26% RDA (recommended dietary allowance)
vitamin A per serving” on a food label, even though 45% of the respondents had a tertiary
education.8 however, food manufacturing companies further complicate this issue by using
too much technical language in their food labels, or using foreign languages or fonts too
small to be read3 or crowding out the main nutritional information with designs intended to
attract potential consumers; thus not helping consumers to read, understand and use the
nutritional information written on the food labels.9
An empirical determination of consumers’ reaction to nutritional labeling of pre-packaged
food products was done in 2012 in Lagos mainland, Lagos. 80.8% claimed they read
nutritional label information prior to purchase while 66% claimed they understand the
information10 although these figures seem good enough, in the study done in 2013 in
Koforidua, Ghana it was found that although 75% of respondent claimed they read food
labels before purchasing food, only 37.5% of the respondents did so on a regular basis8. In a
study done in 2011 to investigate the awareness and use of nutrition information on labels of
packaged food snacks by commuters on Aba road, Port Harcourt revealed that only 20.5% of
the respondents check expiring date and nutrient content on pastry goods11 in some other
African countries like Tanzania, a study done in Ilala municipality in Dar Es Salam, Tanzania
showed that only about 27.4% of study respondents claimed to have knowledge about food
labeling information.3
Poor knowledge, attitude and use of food label information results in poor dietary behavior
and consumption of food products which have a high predisposition to obesity which is a
known risk factor for many non-communicable diseases like cancers, hypertension, diabetes
and cardiovascular diseases. A WHO report in 2014 shows that over 1. 9 billion adults - 18
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years and older (39%) are overweight, out of which 600 million (13%) are obese12. Poor
knowledge, attitude and use of food label information is related to non-communicable
diseases in that it results in consumers lacking information which enables them check and
monitor their dietary intake and avoid unhealthy foods or products containing certain
ingredients which could have potential long term harmful effects on their health or which
they may need to avoid due to pre-existing health conditions.3
Poor knowledge, attitude and use of food label information could result in many other
negative effects to consumers such as purchase of expired pre-packaged food products or
large quantities of foods which have a very short shelf-life or are near to be expired therefore
resulting in wastage of the food products due spoilage3 or expiration. It also could also result
in consumers purchasing food products which do not give them nutritional benefit
commensurate to the amount of money spent in purchase.4 Food poisoning and reaction to
allergens in certain food products13 are also possible consequences, and are of serious
concern.
Since our society is rapidly changing to adopt consumption of western diets and pre-
packaged food products, if nothing is done to educate people on proper knowledge, attitude
and use of food label information, in the long term, there will be greater increase in the
incidence of these non-communicable diseases leading to increased mortality rate; and this
would negatively impact on the socio-economic life of the nation at large.
In Nigeria, there is a shortage of information on consumer understanding, attitude and
behavior regarding food labelling, hence the need for this study. Poor knowledge of food
labeling information and use of its information is a highly significant problem as there has
been an increase in diet-related health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cancers,
cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and high cholesterol level in Nigeria.14

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Also, the low level of literacy in Nigeria7 coupled with the general poor reading culture even
among many literates in Nigeria15 as well as the fact that Lagos state is a fast-growing mega
city with the diets of many of its residents rapidly shifting from a fibre rich diet to a high
refined carbohydrate and fat diet16 - a trend seen especially among college students, business
men and women and those who work in co-operate organizations who in trying to keep up
with the demands of studies and work, rather than cooking or buying cooked food, try to save
time by consuming pre-packaged food products which are readily available, quick to obtain
and convenient to use – all these indicate the necessity for this study.
This study therefore seeks assess the knowledge, attitude and use of food labeling
information in purchasing pre-packaged food products among consumers in Surulere local
government area.
GENERAL AND SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
GENERAL OBJECTIVE
To assess the knowledge, attitude and use of food label information in purchasing pre-
packaged food products among consumers in Surulere local government area.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
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1. To determine the level of knowledge of food label information on pre-packaged food
product labels among consumers in Surulere local government area.
2. To assess the attitude of consumers in Surulere local government area towards food
label information.
3. To assess the use of food label information among consumers in Surulere local
government area.
4. To identify factors associated with knowledge and use of food label information
among consumers in Surulere local government area.
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CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
BRIEF HISTORY OF FOOD LABELLING
The earliest existence of food labelling can be traced back to when food production and
packaging for commercial purpose started. Initially, food labelling was used by food
manufacturers majorly for branding. But as industrialization and commercialization boomed,
regulatory laws began to being put in place by governments to ensure that consumers’ need
for sufficient and truthful food label information was also met by the food manufacturers.
In June 1906 in the United States, the Food and Drug Act was passed and it prohibited
interstate commerce of foods that are misbranded and of low standard. Several other
regulatory laws followed this. In 1990, the Nutrition Labelling and Education Act (NLEA)
were passed. In this act, all packaged foods were mandated to bear nutrition labelling and that
all health claims for foods must be consistent with terms defined by the Secretary of Health
and Human Services.17
Food labelling has since evolved over the years even as newer innovations are being made in
the food industry. Today, in recognition of the connection between food and chronic diseases,
many countries have regulatory bodies overseeing food labelling practice of food
manufacturers; food labelling is now growing all over the world.
FOOD LABEL INFORMATION
There are a variety of information could be found on food labels. Food label information
encompasses information about different aspects of the food product. The common
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information provided on food labels are: product name, product price, name of the
manufacturer, country of origin, manufacture and expiry dates, registration number , net
weight, list of ingredients, instructions for storage, instructions for preparation and/or use,
allergen information, health claim(s), and nutritional information.
The ‘Product name’ refers to the name of the product as given by the manufacturer. It usually
tells of the type of food and the manufacturer’s brand name. ‘Name of the manufacturer’ is
the name of the company producing the food product. ‘Registration number’ refers to the
number given by food regulatory agencies to certify that the products are safe and of good
quality for consumption. ‘Product price’ is sometimes present on food labels and refers to the
amount (determined by the manufacturer) at which the product is to be sold. ‘Country of
origin’ refers to the country in which the food was manufactured.
‘Manufacture and expiry dates’ refer to the date in which the food was produced and the
expected date by which (if it is not consumed) it would be rendered unfit and unhealthy for
consumption. Information on expiry date is very crucial as consumption of foods beyond the
expiry date could pose a serious health risk to the consumer.18 Sometimes, the terms ‘use by’
date and ‘best before’ date are used. Foods after the ‘use by’ date are no longer fit at all for
consumption, however, products are still safe to be consumed for sometime after the ‘best
before’ date, but they would have depreciated in quality.18
‘Net quantity of contents’ refers to the amount of food in the container or package. For solid,
semi-solid and viscous foods it is usually expressed in terms of weight (in which case it is
referred to as ‘net weight’), while for liquid foods, it is could be expressed in fluid measure
such as fluid ounces (fl oz) or litres (l).19 ‘List of ingredients’ informs of all food materials
and substances used in the preparation and manufacture of the product. ‘Instructions for
storage’ provide the consumer with information on the suitable temperature and environment
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in which the product is to be stored for preservation and maintenance of its nutritional
quality. ‘Instructions for preparation and/or use’ show the consumer how to prepare and/or
use the product in order to derive optimal satisfaction and benefit from it.
‘Allergen information’ provides warning to consumers about the allergens contained in the
food product. Such allergens include gluten, soybeans, milk, crustaceans, sulphur dioxide etc.
These allergens are usually highlighted, underlined or italicized on the ingredients list or
stated elsewhere on the label. Allergen information is vital when purchasing food for people
with celiac disease, food allergy or food intolerance.20
‘Nutritional information’ is provided on what is usually called ‘nutrition labels’ or ‘nutrition
fact panels’. Nutrition labels are a part of food labels; they are contained in food labels - they
are a sub-set of information on food labels. Nutrition labels specifically inform on the
nutrients present in the food, such as calories, energy, protein, carbohydrate, sugar,
cholesterol, fat, trans fat, saturated fat, sodium, calcium, vitamins, dietary fibre; they also
give the amounts of the nutrients (usually in grams or milligrams) and each of these amounts
is usually expressed as a percentage of a daily value (also known as ‘recommended dietary
allowance’) for each nutrient. The daily value gives the quantity of a nutrient that is
recommended for healthy living.21
One vital piece of nutritional information found on labels is ‘serving size information’; it
gives the specific amount of a food upon which the information in the nutrition fact panel is
given. This amount could be expressed in grams, litres or using household units like cups or
tablespoon, and it is usually indicated as “per (serving size)” or “serving size”. For example,
serving size information for a cereal product expressed as “per 350 grams” indicates that the
amount of each nutrient stated as contained in the product is the amount contained in only
350 grams of the product.21

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‘Health claims’ are statements which convey a message to the consumer about the health
benefit(s) of consuming a product.22 Examples of health claims are “High in fibre”, “Good for
strong bones and teeth” etc. Health claims are however meant to be scientifically proven and
shown in the nutrition fact panel.18
These are the most commonly seen information on food labels. However, there are less
common information which could be provided on food labels, they include information on
food safety attributes such as presence of genetically-modified organisms and pesticides;
information health related characteristics such as the food properties e.g. presence of
antioxidants or psychoactive substances; information on attributes related to processing
which include animal quality and breeding (for products processed from animals);
information on environmental certification which include information recycling and reuse of
food packages, and the distance through which the food has been transported from its
manufacture until its being made available to consumers (termed ‘food miles’); and general
information of historical and educational value including non-food uses of the food product.23
THE CENTRAL ROLE OF NUTRITION LABELS IN FOOD LABELLING
Almost all the various information available in food labels are vital and have a bearing on the
health of consumers in one way or the other. However, nutrition labels have the most direct
bearing on health. This is because nutrition labels inform specifically about the nutrients or
other substances contained in the food products. And the information about the recommended
serving size, calories, nutrients present in the food and their quantities, and the percent of
daily values of each nutrient which nutrition labels provide are the primary information
which will guide consumers towards eating nutritious foods and therefore helping maintain
optimal health.
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With information on the nutrients found in a food product, consumers with specific nutrient
needs can know what to look for and compare the amounts of such nutrients in different
products in deciding which of them will offer better quantity and quality to them for the
benefit of their health, as well as better value for their money.
Conversely, consumers who need to be more careful in their intake of certain nutrients due to
their potential harmful effect on their health can better monitor their consumption of such
nutrients by reading information on nutrition fact panels. In particular, the information on
amount per serve and recommended percentage daily values for nutrients will aid consumers
put a check to how much and how frequently they consume of such products. This also
ensures that they eat quality, nutritionally balanced and healthy foods. All of this promotes
the ultimate aim of healthy and productive living.
Thus, nutrition labels have a central role in food labelling. This is seen in the effort made by
governments like that of the United States of America and Canada in making nutrition labelling
mandatory and ensuring that nutritional information on food products is tightly regulated and its
content standardized.24, 25 Also, a Global Update on Nutrition Labelling in 2013 showed that in most
countries in the European Union (EU), nutrition labels are found on the vast majority of food
products,26 even though nutrition labelling is yet to be made mandatory for all food products due to
the concern of increase in retail prices of food products as a result of the cost incurred by food
manufacturers in providing the labels.24
However, the Global Update on Nutrition Labelling in 2013 showed that Africa is relatively
backward in nutrition labelling.26 In developing countries like Nigeria, the rate of increase in
the consumption of pre-packaged food is faster than that in developed countries,27 however,
food labelling by indigenous food manufacturers is still low, and even where food labels are
provided, nutritional information are not always included. It is observed that many of the
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locally produced food products sold in Nigeria such as snacks, vegetable oil and other
packaged foods do not bear nutrition labels, apart from name of the product and manufacturer
and expiry date, if they are provided at all.
In all, the vital role of nutrition labelling cannot be over-emphasized. Apart from assisting
consumers make informed food product choice, information on nutrient labels also increase
consumers’ demand for healthier food products, promote healthy competition on nutritional
quality among manufacturers, and facilitate development and production of food products
with better nutritional value.28
NUTRITION LABELLING FORMATS
There are different formats in which nutritional information are presented. Some nutrition
labels appear on the back of the food package and are called back-of-pack labels, while others
appear on the front of the food package and are called front-of-pack labels. Back-of-pack
labels provide nutrition facts in a highly detailed and factual manner, and the format
generally used in back-of-pack labels is the column table format in which nutrients are listed
and values stated.25 They are mandatory in the United States and in Canada, and though
optional in Europe, they are widely used, and present in about 85% of food products.25,24
However, back-of-pack labels have scarcely been effective, because they are generally not
read by consumers as they are considered too technical and cumbersome. 5,29,25 Research has
shown that consumers prefer and easily use graphical or descriptive labels compared to those
with much numerical values. This has led to the widespread use of front-of-pack labels. 30,25
Front-of-pack labels use simpler and easy-to-use formats which include the following:
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Multiple Traffic Lights: in this format, the amounts of fats, saturates, sugar and salt and
sodium are described using the colour codes of red, amber and green for high, medium and
low levels respectively.31,25
Guideline Daily Amounts: in this format, the kilocalories and the amount of total fat,
saturated fatty acids, sugars, and sodium in grams per portion are indicated, including the
percentage contribution that each nutrient makes to the recommended dietary allowance for
the nutrients.25
The Keyhole: this format helps in making comparison between different products belonging
to the same category. It compares the fat, sugar, salt and fibre contents of the products to aid
the consumer decide on a healthier option.32
Choices logo: this is a logo is placed on food products that meet standards set by international
dietary regulation. The Five-Colour Nutrition Label: this gives information about the overall
nutritional quality of a food product using colour codes ranging from green (best quality), to
yellow, to orange, to pink and to red (least quality).31,25
FOOD LABELLING REGULATIONS
In various countries there are regulatory bodies responsible for controlling the activities of
food product manufacturers regarding food labelling. Food labelling regulations stipulate
whether nutrition labelling is to be mandatory or voluntary either for some or all food
products,27 ,33 they determine what information must be provided on labels,34 the format in
which they are to appear and the authenticity of the information (including health claims).33
Ensuring good policies for food labelling has been identified as one means of helping
consumers make informed decisions in their food purchases.35
FOOD LABELLING REGULATION IN NIGERIA
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In Nigeria, the body in charge of the regulation of food labelling is the National Agency for
Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) which operates under the auspices of
the Federal Ministry of Health. In 2005, under Section 8 of the Drugs and Related Products
(Registration etc) Act 1999 (as amended), the governing council of the National Agency For
Food And Drug Administration And Control made the Pre-Packaged Food (Labelling)
Regulations. Among others, the regulations dictate that all pre-packaged food products must
have labels and that all information on the labels must be truthful. Also, guidelines were
given concerning the information that must be provided on food labels.36
FOOD LABELLING AS A TOOL FOR NUTRITIONAL EDUCATION
Food labelling – through its nutritional information content – has a nutritional education
dimension to its function. Apart from its specific role of informing consumers about the food
products they purchase, food labels could also function in a wider role of being a channel
through which important health messages can be relayed to the general public apart from use
of media and organizing nutrition campaigns and rallies.
Several food labels today are already performing this function, but through a stronger
collaboration between the health sector, food product manufacturers, and regulatory bodies
such as National Agency on Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), food
labels could be used to communicate nutrition and diet-related health issues on a larger scale
to communities.
Nutrition labelling has become recognized as a major policy tool for promoting healthy
eating and educating parents, teachers and care-givers on appropriate and healthy nutrition
practices which they can in turn instill in children. Nutrition labelling is mandatory in some
countries and being applied as an intervention measure for health education. 37,38
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REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Results from other studies related to this topic are reviewed according to the earlier stated
objectives.
KNOWLEDGE OF FOOD LABEL INFORMATION
Knowledge of food label information encompasses the consumer’s awareness of food labels,
understanding of the information provided on labels as well as the ability to interpret the
implication of the information on his or her health.
In a study conducted among consumers who buy from grocery stores in Maseru, Lesotho in
which two hundred and sixty (260) consumers were interviewed. About 59.6% of the
participants said they knew about food labelling information, while 69.2% said they had
nutritional knowledge.39
In another study conducted in the suburb of Koforidua Municipality in the Eastern region of
Ghana revealed that only 22% of the study respondents answered correctly when asked to
explain “26% RDA (recommended dietary allowance) vitamin A per serving” on a food
label, even though 45% of the respondents had a tertiary education.8
Results from another study conducted in Lilongwe, Malawi in 2009 among 104 urban and
102 rural consumers (a total of 206 consumers) in order to compare use and understanding of
nutritional information between the two settings showed that among all participants who use
food labels (n=60), 7.3% reported to fully understand what they read on food labels, 18.9%
understood it partially while the remainder (73.8%) did not understand the values and
terminology used in the nutrition facts panels.40
In a study carried out in 2009 involving 283 consumers residing in the Province of Warmia
and Mazury, Poland. The study showed that only 48% of respondents gave correct answers
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when asked about the meaning of the acronym ‘GDA’, while the remaining participants gave
incorrect answers.41
In a study among consumers who purchase food from 6 super markets in Ilala municipality in
Dar Es Salam, Tanzania, results showed that only about 27.4% of study respondents reported
to have knowledge about food labelling information.1
In another study conducted using data from a large French web-based prospective
observational cohort study called the NutriNet-Sante´ Study, it was discovered that among
the participants in the study, only 7.5% were fully informed about nutrition information on
food labels, 70.4% were fairly well informed while 22.1% poorly informed.42
A study was conducted in three cities in Italy - Bologna, Rome and Naples, in which
respondents were assessed to ascertain their level of familiarity and capability to interpret
nutritional advices on food labels. The method used involved two aspects, firstly, testing the
non-stimulated knowledge of the respondents by asking the consumers to mention the
information found on food labels without any suggestions or prompting, and secondly, testing
the degree of stimulated knowledge by suggesting the various nutritional advices on food
labels and asking to know how much of them they can remember.
Results from this study showed that for stimulated knowledge, 15% of the consumers had
low stimulated knowledge, sufficient, high and very high stimulated knowledge was seen in
40%, 24% and 21% of consumers respectively. However, for non-stimulated knowledge, a
higher percentage (35%) of consumers had low non-stimulated knowledge while sufficient,
high and very high non-stimulated knowledge was seen in 42%, 18% and 5% of consumers
respectively.
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It is worthy of note that with respect to specific nutritional information on food labels, in both
the stimulated and non-stimulated knowledge the three most familiar and understood
information were percentage of fats, indicated by 83% of respondents, followed by energy
value (76%) and thirdly, vitamins and mineral salts (63%).43
A study was carried out in the United Kingdom, in this study, an assessment of consumers’
understanding of nutrition labels was done with respect to the two widely used front-of-pack
label formats in the United Kingdom, which are guideline daily amount (GDA) labels and
traffic light (TL) labels, both of which are based on energy and four major nutrients namely;
fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt.
The level of understanding of these food label information was assessed in three aspects,
namely; subjective, conceptual and substantive understanding. Subjective understanding
referred to the respondents’ perception of their own understanding of the food labels. This
was measured on a scale of 1 (do not understand at all) to 10 (understand extremely well).
Conceptual understanding referred to the consumers’ general understanding of the meaning
of the concept of guideline daily amount and the meaning of the colours in the traffic light
format, while substantive understanding referred to the ability of the consumers to correctly
interpret the information. Both conceptual and substantive understanding was assessed using
multiple-choice questions.
Results showed the following: The average score for subjective understanding was 7.0 for
GDA labels and 6.9 for TL labels on the 10-point scale. Results for conceptual understanding
revealed the following: 61% of the respondents knew the correct meaning of the concept of
GDA. 47% correctly knew that the reference for GDA is per serving of the food, while 89%
correctly understood that a GDA for fat of 70 g implies that an average adult should not eat
more than 70 g fat a day. 23% knew correctly that the reference for TLs can be both per 100
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g and per serving. About 67% of respondents had difficulty in differentiating between
meanings that differed in degree of severity. Many respondents also exhibited a tendency to
over-interpret the meaning of the amber and red colours. There were high percentages of
correct answers to questions assessing substantive understanding which indicated that many
of the consumers had good ability to interpret food label information correctly.44
In a study conducted in selected supermarkets in Potchefstroom and Klerksdorp regions of
South Africa, an assessment of consumers’ understanding of the information provided on
food labels was carried out by asking the respondents to perform labelling tasks which tested
their ability to use the ingredients list, associate food nutrients with a food product by looking
at a food label and in making comparison between the nutritional information of different
food products. Results from this study revealed that the consumers had poor understanding of
the information provided on the food labels as was evidenced by their low scores on the food
label-reading tasks.45
ATTITUDE TO FOOD LABEL INFORMATION
Consumers’ attitudes to food label information are the feelings, instinctive reactions, motives
and beliefs46 which they have towards food label information and food labelling in general.
Consumers’ attitude to food label information could be positive or negative, and they play a
major role in influencing consumers’ disposition to using food labels.
In a study conducted in Kwara state, Nigeria to investigate food label use amongst Nigerians, results
showed that the opinion of most of the respondents were that food labels are mainly for knowing the
expiry date of food products, for advertisement and to fulfill a legal requirement, rather than food
labels being primarily for determining the nutritional value of food, the quantity to consume and the
health status of the food.47
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In a systematic review conducted in seven jurisdictions, namely: Canada, Australia and New
Zealand, United States of America, Norway, Europe, Thailand and Trinidad, it was found that
many consumers perceived food labels as an important source of information and had a
positive disposition towards using the information if it was provided. Also, ingredients and
health claims were considered as more important. It was also observed that respondents with
positive attitudes were mostly those who reported more frequent use of labels. However,
many consumers had the notion that serving sizes and health claims were misleading and that
food product manufacturers could not be trusted with respect to the credibility of the health
claims on their labels as well as if they kept laws set by regulatory bodies.37
In a qualitative study carried out in two areas in Thailand; Bangkok and Ranong in which in-
depth interviews were conducted with the respondents, results showed that the propensity
towards use of food labels was increased by health concerns as well as by belief that nutrition
influences health increased likelihood of attention to nutrition labels.48
According to the study conducted in the cities of Bologna, Rome and Naples in Italy, results
of analysis of consumers’ attitude towards nutrition labelling revealed that despite the high
interest in nutritional labels, many of the consumers felt dissatisfied with how the information
was communicated to them on the labels as about 62% of respondents view the information
included in the nutritional label as difficult to understand; 72% of respondents considered the
information too technical and difficult to comprehend; 86% found the that the letters of the
nutritional table too small and hard to read; 52% of consumers feel that nutrition claims are
not very trustworthy.43
A major aspect of consumers’ attitude towards food labels is the degree of importance placed
on the different information items on the labels. An Irish study which investigated what Irish
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consumers consider important showed that the best before date was the most important piece
of information on labels as 95% of the respondents considered it very important and
mandatory for all food labels. Next to this were the list of ingredients and name of food (with
78% and 77% respectively). Results from this study also showed that 74% of consumers
perceived food labelling (generally speaking) as informative (among whom only 23%
considered it as ‘very important’).
Regarding the importance attached to specific mandatory labelling information, 10 pieces of
labelling information for pre-packaged foods which were mandatory according to general
labelling legislation in Ireland were presented to the respondents for them to rate them on a
scale of 1(not at all important) to 10 (very important); the 10 mandatory labelling information
were: alcoholic strength (for beverages greater than 1.2% alcohol by volume), instruction for
use, product origin, contact details of manufacturer/packer/or seller, special storage
information or conditions of use, date of minimum durability (i.e. best-before or use-by date),
net quantity, quantity of certain ingredients, list of ingredients and name of food.
The date of minimum durability and name of food were the two items considered as the most
important pieces of mandatory labelling information, with 81% and 55% of respondents
respectively rating them as ‘very important’. While net quantity and alcoholic strength for
beverages greater than 1.2% alcohol by volume were least considered as very important with
only 26% and 28% respectively considering it ‘very important’ on the scale.49
In a study conducted in selected supermarkets of Lucknow city of Uttar Pradesh, India. Respondents’
attitude to the importance of various information items on food labels were assessed using a Likert
scale of 1 (‘not important’) to 5 (‘extremely important’). An analysis of mean scores of responses
showed that the information items consumers were more interested in were price, name and address of
manufacturer, and the manufacture, best before and expiry dates. These items had the highest mean
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scores, while on the other hand, consumers were least interested in the list of ingredients, certification
from agencies and storage instruction as these items had the lowest means scores. Generally, the
results showed an alarming observation which was that consumers had a relatively poor attitude
towards the information items that were on nutrition, and were only more interested in the commercial
attributes of food labels.50
An empirical analysis of consumer preferences with regards to food labeled information was
conducted in Milan, Italy in which focus group discussions were held followed by a survey
on 240 consumers. Results from the survey showed that information on vitamin and fat
content were the most sought after nutritional claim as 40% and 36.7% of respondents
respectively, considered this information to be important or very important, while
information on sodium content and presence of probiotics were the least sought after
nutritional claim as only by 25.9% and 28% of respondents respectively, considered it to be
important or very important information. In the focus group discussion, it was found out that
consumers had the highest preference for information on the countries of origin of the food
products (read by 86% of the participants), followed by information regarding the presence or
absence of GMOs (72%), the organic agriculture derivation (69%), and the energy content
(69%) and fat content (69%).23
In a study conducted among consumers in chain stores in Tehran, Iran, results from an
analysis on consumer behaviour showed that around 70% of the respondents believed that
checking the date mark on food packages ensures that the product is fresh 57.8% viewed the
date mark on food packages as legible, while 49.4% felt its location on food packages is
suitable. However, less than 50% of the consumers viewed checking nutritional information
on food labels as helpful in purchasing food products with high nutritional value.3
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In a study aimed at examining Turkish consumers’ understanding and use of nutrition labels
found on packaged food products, it was found that 72.4% of consumers felt that reading
food labels takes a longer time than they can afford, 74.6% of the respondents declared that
they would have liked to be more knowledgeable on the information on food labels in order
to choose a nutritious diet, 69.6% of the respondents said that nutrition fact labels were very
useful for them while 70% of them felt that their food choices are better when they use food
labels.51
In the focus group discussions in the above study, an inquiry was made concerning the
attitude of consumers towards ‘smart labels’ (technologically advanced means of conveying
information about food products to consumers via mobile phones). Results showed that the
respondents liked the innovation and were eager about the promotion of its use as they
considered it helpful in their getting quick and simple information about food products. They
however expressed concerns over the truthfulness of the information contained in food labels
and opined that regulatory agencies come in to certify and guarantee the information on food
labels.23
Also, in a study conducted in Shenyang, Liaoning province, China, about 70% of the
respondents stated that they do not trust the claims on the food labels.52
Several studies have shown that consumer attitudes vary and could be affected by several factors such
as personality,53 sex (for instance, females being the food planners in most households are responsible
for purchasing food for the household and may tend to be more conscious of the healthiness of the
foods purchased), age, income and educational status. 47
However, in a study conducted to examine the critical success factors of consumer’s attitude towards
nutritional labelling of Small and Medium Industries (SMI) products in Malaysia, four crucial factors
which influence consumers’ attitude towards nutritional labelling were identified which were -
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motivation, source of information, nutritional knowledge and label format. Therefore, to improve the
attitude of consumers towards food labelling, key stake holders such as the government, food
manufactures and regulatory agencies must work on these four factors among consumers. 28
USE OF FOOD LABEL INFORMATION AMONG CONSUMERS
The use of food label information entails that consumers read the food label and utilize the
information provided in making informed decision taking into consideration their health
status and specific nutritional needs as to whether to consume the food product or not; as well
as deciding on the quantity or volume and frequency of consumption.
The use of food labels is generally considered to be mainly related to purchasing a product
for the first time, however, in a study conducted in Beijing, China to assess how consumers
seek information on food labels (to assist their purchase decisions) despite having gained
familiarity with the food through repeated usage. The food used as a case study was rice, and
it was shown that 36.5% still painstakingly use label information even if they are familiar
with the food.
The study showed that this category of health-conscious consumers still use the rice labels for
the purpose of reassuring themselves of the quality and safety of the food despite their
familiarity with the product.2
In the study conducted in Lilongwe, Malawi among urban and rural consumers, it was found
that only about 29.1% of the respondents reported reading nutrition labels in grocery stores.40
From a study conducted in Maseru, Lesotho, it was shown that 63.8% of the respondents
reported regularly using nutrition information on food labels while shopping, while 8.5% of
the respondents admitted doing so only occasionally.39
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In the study conducted in Shenyang, Liaoning province, China, about 79% of the respondents
reported ‘yes’ when asked if they read food labels.52
In the study conducted in the United Kingdom, in-store interviews with those who came to
shop were carried out in which 27% of the respondents reported that they had checked for
nutrition information on the first product that they purchased while shopping.44
According to the study conducted in the cities of Bologna, Rome and Naples in Italy, results
show that on the overall, over half of respondents (56%) stated that they read labels at the
point of purchasing food. 26% of respondents read nutrition labels regularly, 32% of them did
so occasionally, 28% of them only checked the food labels when buying a new product while
14% reported that they do not read the labels at all.43
Also, in study conducted in Ireland, it was shown that 25% of respondents always read food
labels, 19% do so usually, 29% sometimes, 15% rarely, while 12% declared that they never
read the labels.49
In a study conducted in 2009 to examine the use of food labels among countries in the
European Union, in-store observation of consumers while shopping revealed that over 60%
of respondents looked at the front of the pack before placing the product into their shopping
basket, except in France, where only 31% did. Less than 15% looked somewhere else on the
pack before putting the product into the shopping basket, except in Germany, where it was up
to 32%. However, less than one-third of consumers had checked for nutrition information on
the labels.54
In another study conducted in the Molise region of Italy, results showed that 56.2% of the
respondents declared that they usually checked food labels to find information about at least
one item (mostly about fat and calorie content); 30.2% stated that they do not usually check
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for food label information, while 13.5% neither affirmed nor denied use of food labels. This
gives a total of 43.2% of respondents who do not usually use food labels.55
A study to investigate adolescent awareness and use of food labels in the United States of
America showed poor awareness of nutrition programs among adolescents in the United
States as well as poor use of food labels, as less than 25% of the adolescent respondents made
their food product choices based on consultation with nutrition labels.56
In a study conducted in six European countries to assess consumers’ use and understanding of
food labels, observation was made in the stores while consumers purchased different
categories of food products. Results showed that at the point of purchasing their first product,
62.6% of respondents were observed to have looked at the front of the food package, while
7.7% were observed to have looked somewhere else other that the front of the package.
However, only 16.8% of the respondents declared to have checked for nutritional information
on the labels.57
The manners in which food labels are used vary among consumers. Some use the labels in
totality, carefully checking out all the information written on the food packages. However,
several studies show that consumers do not always check for all the information on the labels,
they have just one or a few information items they look for on food labels.
In a review of European research on consumer response to nutrition information on food
labels conducted in 2007, results of the analysis of what consumers looked for in food labels
revealed that on the overall, most of the respondents were more concerned about reading the
information of best before date and origin of the food. In Netherlands, respondents used
information on food safety and presence of genetically-modified organisms more than they
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used the nutritional information on the nutrient facts panel. In Sweden, information on food
safety, pesticides and animal welfare were used more.5
In a study conducted to examine food label use in relation to dietary intake among adults in
the United States, 61.6% of respondents reported checking for nutritional information, 51.6%
looked at the ingredients list, 47.2% checked for serving size, and 43.8% looked for health
claims at least on some occasions when deciding to buy a food product. 58
A study conducted to assess the application and perception of food labels among women in
Shiraz, Pakistan, revealed that the information item used the least among the women was that
concerning salt content, while the highest use was for calorie content of foods.59
In a study conducted in Port-Harcourt, Nigeria, it was found that only 57.0% and 40.0% of
the respondents read labels on pastry foods and beverages, respectively before purchase.
About 32.5% of the respondents check expiring date only, 20.0% check nutrient content only
and 20.5% check both expiring date and nutrient content on pastry goods. These results
showing poor usage of nutrition information among consumers were seen despite the high
level of awareness of nutrition information among the respondents.11
In a study conducted in Gaborone, Botswana, an inquiry was made into the situations in
which consumers make use of food label information in deciding what products they
purchase. 57% of respondents reported using nutrition labels when buying a product for the
first time while 53% indicated using nutrition information when comparing food products.
48% reported using the information when trying to lose weight, 45% stated that they use the
labels when following a special diet, while 37% of the consumers reported checking for
nutrition information only when buying certain foods.60
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In all, one major trend that has been common to several studies on this topic is that the level
of awareness and understanding of food label information is relatively higher than that of its
use in making food purchase decisions.22,11,57
FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH KNOWLEDGE AND USE OF FOOD LABEL
INFORMATION
Previous studies have hypothesized several factor which influence consumers’ knowledge
and use of food label information. These factors encompass socio-demographic factors such
as age, marital status etc, factors related to nutritional knowledge and attitude to healthy
eating, products and situational variables affecting consumers’ willingness to seek food label
information as well as their ability to obtain it.61,62
Nutritional knowledge has been identified as a major factor affecting consumers’ knowledge
and use of food label information. A study conducted among Spanish consumers, it was noted
that consumers with low nutritional knowledge also had poor comprehension of the
information on food labels and therefore hardly looked at the food labels let alone consider
information in making food purchase decisions.63
Another closely related associated factor is consumers’ educational status, and educational
status is in turn sometimes related to factors such as socio-economic status, age, sex
(especially in places where male education is given precedence over that of females) etc. In
the study done in Maseru, Lesotho, a positive relationship was identified between education
level and knowledge of food label information. Consumers with higher educational levels had
higher levels of knowledge of food label information.
A similar positive relationship was observed between age and knowledge of nutritional
information. Up to 89.8% of respondents between the ages of 41 and 50 years reported that
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they had knowledge of nutritional information on food labels. Whereas, respondents below
20 years and above 50 years of age had less knowledge of nutrition information.39 Similar
results were observed in the study in Ilala municipality, Tanzania.1
In the study conducted in Lilongwe, Malawi among urban and rural consumers, results
showed that knowledge of food label information was low among consumers in the rural
areas as up to 64.3% of the respondents were not familiar with English language. Higher
knowledge of nutritional information among well-educated respondents was shown to
positively influence their use of the food labels in purchasing food.40
In the study conducted in the province of Warmia and Mazury, Poland. Results showed that
consumers who were on a diet showed greater knowledge of nutritional information (55%),
as demonstrated by their understanding of the meaning of the acronym ‘GDA’, than those not
on a diet (43%). Also, women had a higher number of correct answers (54%) compared to
men (39%).41
In a study conducted to examine determinants of nutrition label use among Turkish consumers, results
showed that contrary to results from previous studies, the following factors: time pressure, nutrition
knowledge, awareness of diet-disease relationship, gender, marital status, preschool child ownership,
working status, and importance accrued to price all proved to be insignificant in affecting nutrition
label use among the respondents. Age and income of respondents were significant determinants,
however, their effect were negative rather than positive. This was also contrary to results from other
studies. However, results suggested that importance given to health and to eating nutritious foods was
a significant factor determining nutrition label use among Turkish consumers. 61
In the study conducted in Lilongwe, Malawi among urban and rural consumers, in which only
about 29.1% of the respondents reported reading nutrition labels in grocery stores, it was
found that urban consumers (52.9%) had a far greater tendency to read nutrition labels than
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their rural (4.9%) counterparts. Consumers with post-secondary education and females were
also more likely to read nutrition panels before purchasing food than the other consumers.40
In the study in Ilala municipality, Tanzania, results showed that the need to know the
characteristics of the food product before purchase or consumption was a motivating factor
for 63.5% of respondents to read food labels, while health consciousness was a motivating
factor for 40.9% of respondents. However, appearance of the food package and
advertisements were observed to have little influence over consumers’ willingness to use
food labels as they were indicated as motivation for reading food label by only 7.2% and
4.3% of respondents respectively.1
In a study done in the Potchefstroom and Klerksdorp regions of South Africa, some
consumers stated that they used food labels because of weight concerns as well as guarding
against foods that would be unhelpful for persons with diet-related health conditions.33
The kind of food product was also an associated factor in influencing consumers’ behaviour
regarding use of food labels. In the study in the United Kingdom, it was noted that consumers
used food labels most frequently for yoghurt (38%) and breakfast cereals (34%), while they
used it least for salty snacks (22%) and confectionery (16%). This suggests that consumers
sought more nutritional information of food products that are generally considered to be
healthier.44
However, in the study done in the three cities of Bologna, Rome and Naples, Italy,
respondents reported to reading nutritional labels more often when purchasing children foods
(34.2%) and confectioneries (31.6%) more than they did for fruit juices or soft drinks
(22,4%) and cereals (26%).43
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Studies have shown that consumers encounter difficulties in understanding and using food
labels. Also, many factors have been identified as reasons why consumers do not use food
labels at all or do so inconsistently.
In several studies, consumers have complained that they find it difficult to understand and use
food labels due to use of unfamiliar language, too technical words or too small
fonts.48,60,1,64,45,33
Some consumers have stated that they do not read food labels because they do not trust the
information provided by food manufacturers on their products.37,43 Some consumers do not
use the information on the food labels in choosing what products to purchase as a result of
their taste preference. They make their purchase decision based on taste rather than
nutritional value. For others, their purchasing decisions are based on the price of the product,
and though they may be knowledgeable on food label information and perhaps even read
them, they feel constrained to make their purchase decisions according to their financial
capacity.45,33
The consistency of consumers in using food labels is also lowered by situational
inconveniences and mood during food purchasing, as well as time constraint.65,60
However, besides all these reasons for non-use of food labels, some consumers do not read
food labels as they regularly use certain products which they are already familiar with and
therefore do not feel the need to always check the labels.60
On the overall however, there is overwhelming evidence that poor nutritional knowledge,
poor understanding of food label information and lack of interest are major reasons why
many consumers do not use food labels. The study conducted in 6 European countries to
assess use and understanding of nutritional information, it was observed that lack of use of
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food labels was also a matter of lack of interest not only of poor knowledge of food label
information. This conclusion was made as there were consumers who showed good
understanding of nutrition information but still did not use food labels in choosing what to
buy or consume.57
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CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY
DESCRIPTION OF STUDY AREA

The study was conducted in Surulere local government area, which is a residential and
commercial local government area located on the mainland of Lagos in Lagos state, Nigeria.
Surulere local government area has a total land mass area of 27.05 square kilometer.66 It is
located between 6˚05'N and 6˚30'N of the equator and 3˚21'E and 3˚35'E of the Greenwich
meridian.67
Surulere local government area has a total population of 1,274,362 inhabitants, 698,403
males and 575,959 females.66 It has a population density of 47,111.35 inhabitants per square
kilometer.66 It has a total of 9 wards which are: Adeniran-Ogunsanya, Empire, Akinhanmi-
Cole, Tejuosho, Love Garden, Babatunde-Randle, Shitta-Bank Olemo, Obele-Oniwala-
Lawanson and Iponri.68
STUDY DESIGN
The study was a cross-sectional descriptive survey aimed at determining the knowledge,
attitude and use of food labelling information in purchasing pre-packaged food products
among consumers in Surulere local government area.
STUDY POPULATION
The study population was consumers of pre-packaged food products (male and female) in
Surulere local government.
INCLUSION CRITERIA: Consumers who are 18 years and above who reside in Surulere.
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EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Consumers who are less than 18 years.
DETERMINATION OF SAMPLE SIZE
Sample size was determined using the Cochran formula:
N = Z2*P*Q / D2
Where,
N is the minimum sample size as determined from formula
Z is the standard normal deviation at 95 percent confidence interval and it is = 1.96
P is the prevalence of the characteristic of this study, and for the purpose of this study, 81% was used
(0.81)10. This was adapted from a study conducted in Lagos on consumers’ reaction to food labelling.
Q = 1 – p = 1- 0.81= 0.19
D is the acceptable margin of sampling error (0.5% =0.05)
So,
N = 1.962 (0.81*0.19) / 0.052
N = 3.8416 (0.1539) / 0.0025
N = 236.5
N = 237 (approximately)
The sample size gotten was then increased by 15.35% to allow for contingencies such as non-response
or recording error.
N + 15.35% of N = 237 + [(15.35/100)*237]
= 237 + 43
= 280
SAMPLING METHOD
A multistage sampling technique was used to select the respondents.
Stage 1: Selection of wards: Surulere Local Government Area has a total of 9 wards. 2 wards
were selected using a simple random sampling method (balloting).
Stage 2: Selection of streets: From each selected ward, simple random sampling technique
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was used to select 10 streets to make a total of 20 streets.
Stage 3: Selection of houses: On each selected street, the starting point was determined by
balloting, and then every other house on the street was selected.
Stage 4: Selection of respondents: From the selected houses, one respondent was selected by
balloting.
METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION
Data was collected by issuing a self-administered questionnaire to respondents. Questionnaire was
adapted from relevant similar studies and comprises of four sections namely;
A. Socio-demographics section
This section contained questions about respondents’ age, sex, highest level of education,
occupation and estimated monthly income.
B. Knowledge of food label information section
This section contained questions about respondents’ awareness of food labels on products they
purchase, their subjective understanding of food label information, the source of their knowledge
as well as questions testing their understanding of nutritional information on food labels. ‘Good’
knowledge was determined if the respondent answered 80% or more of the questions correctly,
‘fair’ knowledge was determined as a score of between 51% to 80% while less than 50% was
determined to be ‘Poor’ knowledge.
C. Attitude towards food label information section
This section assessed the attitude of the respondents towards food label information. There were
five (5) responses for each of the statements made in this section. The responses available were
‘strongly agree’, ‘agree’, ‘not sure’, ‘disagree’ and ‘strongly disagree’. With positive questions
‘strongly agree’ was awarded a score of 5 with ‘strongly disagree’ being awarded a score of 1. It
was done vice versa for negative questions. A maximum score of 40 was available. Respondents
with a score between 0-24 were classified as having ‘negative attitude’ while those with a score of
25-40 were classified as having ‘positive attitude’.
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D. Use of food label information section
This section assessed respondents’ frequency of reading food labels; application of the
information in deciding what food products to purchase, motivation for reading food labels,
information sought for on food labels and difficulties encountered in using food labels. Use of
food label information was scored using a scale of 1 to 6, and graded into ‘good use’ (5-6) and
‘poor use’ (1-4) based on respondents’ consistency in reading of food labels and utilization of the
information in making purchasing decisions.
DATA MANAGEMENT AND ANALYSIS
Data collected was coded, verified and analyzed. Only fully answered questionnaires were analyzed.
Epi Info Version 7 was used for the analysis. Proportions and frequencies were calculated and
presented as tables. Chi-square tests were used to test for association between knowledge, attitude and
use of food label information with the socio-demographic characteristics.
TRAINING OF RESEARCH ASSISTANTS Data
collection was conducted by three interviewers - two other undergraduate students of the College of
Medicine, University of Lagos and the principal researcher. These interviewers were trained on how
to obtain informed consent from the respondents, how to assist those needing clarification on the
questionnaire and how to carry out a simple random sampling by balloting.
ETHICAL APPROVAL
The approval to carry out this study was obtained from the Health Research and Ethics Committee
(HREC) of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). The Surulere local government authority
was duly consulted for permission. Verbal consent was obtained from respondents who chose to
participate in the study. More so, strict confidentiality was maintained throughout in terms of
participants’ identity and information.
LIMITATIONS TO THE STUDY
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In the data collection phase of the research, it was impracticable to select streets, houses and
respondents according to the planned sampling methodology; this was due to the irregular
arrangement of houses on the streets, the difficulty of getting willing respondents, time
constraints and great shortage of research assistants, as many of those who would have
assisted in data collection were students of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos and
were not disposed to participate in data collection because they had examinations as at the
time data collection was to be conducted.
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CHAPTER FOUR
RESULTS
In this study, a total of 280 questionnaires were administered. Of these, 237 were completely
filled. This gives a response rate of 84.6%.
Table 1 Socio-demographic characteristics of respondents (n=237)
Variable Frequency Percentage
Age range
18 – 25 years 117 49.4
26 – 40 years 87 36.7
41 - 60 years 29 12.2
Above 60 years 4 1.7
Sex
Male 145 61.2
Female 92 38.8
Level of education
No formal education 4 1.7
Primary 16 6.8
Secondary 96 40.5
Tertiary 121 51.0
Total 237 100
Close to half of the respondents (49.4%) were between the ages 18 – 25 years, over one-third
(36.7%) of respondents were between ages 26 – 40 years, only 12.2% of them were between
ages 41 – 60 years, and only 1.7% (n=4) were above 60 years of age. Most of the respondents
(61.2%, n=145) were males while only 38.8% (n=92) were females. Over half of the
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respondents (51.0%, n=121) had tertiary education, about two-fifths (40.5%, n=96) had
secondary school education, few respondents (6.8%, n=16) had only primary school
education, while only 1.7% (n=4) had no formal education.
Table 2 Socio-demographic characteristics of respondents (n=237)
Occupation
Managerial and technical 7 3.0
Non-manual 72 30.4
Professional 12 5.0
Retired 2 0.8
Semi-skilled 52 21.9
Skilled 7 3.0
Unemployed 80 33.8
Unskilled 5 2.1
Estimated monthly income
(in Naira)
None 72 30.4
Below 25,000 Naira 67 28.3
25,000 – 80,000 Naira 62 26.2
80,000 – 150,000 Naira 20 8.4
Above 150,000 Naira 16 6.8
One-third (33.8%) of the respondents were unemployed, also, close to one-third of
respondents (30.4%, n=72) had non-manual occupation. Few respondents (3.0%) had
managerial and technical occupation, and also, few respondents (5.0%) had professional
occupation. Nearly one-third of the respondents (30.4%) had no income, about one quarter of
respondents (28.3%) earn below 25,000 Naira a month, about the same proportion (26.2%)
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earn between 25,000 – 80,000 Naira a month. Only 8.4% earn between 80,000 – 150,000
Naira a month, and very few (6.8%) earn above 150,000 Naira a month.
KNOWLEDGE OF FOOD LABEL INFORMATION
Table 3 Respondents' knowledge of food label information
Level of knowledge Frequency Percentage
Good 96 40.5
Fair 68 28.7
Poor 73 30.8
Total 237 100
Two-fifth of the respondents (40.5%) claimed to have good knowledge of food label
information, about one quarter of respondents (28.7%) stated to have a fair knowledge, while
close to one-third of them (30.8%) admitted to having poor knowledge of the information on
food labels.
Table 4: Sources of knowledge about information on food labels
Source of knowledge* Frequency (n=237) Percentage*
School 78 32.9
Television/radio 63 23.6
Books/magazines 29 12.2
Internet/social media 61 25.7
Family members/friends 28 11.8
Not sure 34 14.4
*Multiple responses allowed (percentages do not add up to 100%).
About one-third of the respondents, 32.9% stated that they got knowledge about food label
information from school, about one quarter of them (23.6%) stated that they got it through
television/radio, only 12.2% stated that they got it from books/magazines, one quarter of
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respondents (25.7%) stated that they got it through the internet/social media, only 11.8% of
them stated that they got it from family members/friends, and only 14.4% were not sure as to
the source of their knowledge of food label information.
Table 5: Respondents' correct knowledge of food constituents that should be reduced in

diet for health concerns
Food constituent Frequency (n=237) Percentage*
Saturated fat 119 50.2

Sugar 168 70.9
Trans fat 64 27.0
Sodium 52 22.4
Cholesterol 156 65.8
*Percentages do not add up to 100%.
In this study, half of respondents (50.2%) correctly knew that saturated fat is to be reduced in
diet due to its associated health implications, majority of the (70.9%) correctly knew that
sugar should be reduced, over one quarter of them (27.0%) correctly knew that trans fat
should be reduced, over one-fifth of them (22.4%) correctly knew that sodium should be
reduced, while most respondents (65.8%) correctly knew that cholesterol should be reduced.
Table 6: Respondents' correct knowledge of food constituents that should not be

reduced in diet for their health benefits
Food constituent Frequency (n=237) Percentage*
Iron 108 45.6

Polyunsaturated fat 25 10.6
Dietary fibre 79 33.3
Calcium 109 46.0
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Monounsaturated fat 28 11.8

In this study, close to half of respondents (45.6%) correctly knew that iron is not to be
reduced in diet due to its associated health benefit, only 10.6% of them correctly knew that
polyunsaturated fat should not be reduced. One third of respondents (33.3%) correctly knew
dietary fibre should not be reduced, close to half of them (46.6%) correctly knew that calcium
should not be reduced, while only 11.8% correctly knew that monounsaturated fat should not
be reduced.
Table 7: Respondents' correct knowledge about expiry dates, percentage daily values
and serving size
Correct knowledge concerning Frequency (n=237) Percentage*
Safety of consuming food 130 64.0

products 2 days after expiry date
Health implication of eating 154 86.0
above percentage daily values
Serving size of a food product 52 42.6
In this study, about two-third of respondents (64.0%) of the respondents correctly knew that a
food product is unsafe to be consumed 2 days after its expiry date, majority of respondents
(86.0%) correctly knew that eating above the percentage daily values for the nutrients present
in food products could have serious health implications, while over two-fifth of them (42.7%)
correctly knew that there was a difference between ‘serving size’ and ‘net weight’.
Table 8: Knowledge grade of respondents
Poor knowledge (0-39%) 161 68.0
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Fair knowledge (40-79%) 70 29.5
Good knowledge (80-100%) 6 2.5
Total 237 100
In this study, majority of respondents (68.0%) had poor knowledge of food label information,
over one quarter of them (29.5%) had fair knowledge, while only 2.5% of them had good
knowledge of food label information.
ATTITUDE TO FOOD LABEL INFORMATION
Table 9: Respondents' attitude to food label information
Statement Strongly Agree Not Disagree Strongly

sure disagree
Agree
Food labels are just for advertisement 44 65 35 67 26
(18.6%) (27.4%) (14.8%) (28.3%) (10.9%)

I’m interested in learning more about food 80 126 20 10 1
label information
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(33.8%) (53.2%) (8.4%) (4.2%) (0.4%)
Ignoring information on food labels could 105 80 26 22 4
affect my health
(44.3%) (33.8%) (10.9%) (9.3%) (1.7%)
The amount of nutritional information on 27 80 84 39 7
food labels is too little
(11.4%) (33.8%) (35.4%) (16.5%) (2.9%)
Food labels are meant to guide me make 97 110 19 5 6
healthy food choices
(40.9%) (46.4%) (8.0%) (2.1%) (2.5%)
It’s hard to understand and interpret the 39 70 56 59 13
information on food labels
(16.5%) (29.5%) (23.6%) (24.9%) (5.5%)
The information on food labels are 57 70 76 29 5
authentic and trustworthy
(24.1%) (29.5%) (32.1%) (12.2%) (2.1%)
It is necessary to consciously check for the 126 91 14 6 0
nutritional information of any food product
before buying it (53.2%) (38.4%) (5.9%) (2.5%) (0.0%)
In this study, about two-fifth of respondents (39.2%) disagree that food labels are just for
advertisement, majority of respondents (87%)stated that they were interested in learning
more about food label information. Majority of respondents (78.1%) agree that ignoring food
label information could affect their health. Close to half of respondents (45.2%) feel that the
amount of nutritional information on food labels is too little, majority (87.3%) of respondents
agree that food labels are meant to guide towards eating healthy, close to half (46%) of
respondents feel it’s hard to understand and interpret the information on food labels. Only
14.3% of respondents disagree that the information on food labels are authentic and
trustworthy, while the vast majority (91.6%) of respondents agree that it is necessary to
consciously check for the nutritional information of any food product before buying it.
Table 10: Attitude grade of respondents

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Positive attitude 215 90.7

Negative attitude 22 9.3
Total 237 100
Attitude of the respondents was scored using the 5-point Likert scale which assigns a score of
5 for strongly agree, 4 for agree, 3 for undecided, 2 for disagree and 1 for strongly disagree
for positive questions and vice versa. A minimum score of 8 and a maximum score of 40 was
obtainable. Respondents with a score of 8-24 were regarded as having negative attitude while
respondents with a score of 25-40 were regarded as having positive attitude. Majority
(90.7%) of respondents had a positive attitude towards food label information, while only
9.3% had a negative attitude towards food label information
USE OF FOOD LABEL INFORMATION
Table 11: Respondents' use of food label information every time they buy a product
Read every time 85 35.9

Do not read every time 152 64.1
Total 237 100
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In the study, about one third (35.9%) of respondents stated that they read food labels every
time they buy a food product, while most of respondents (64.1%)stated that they do not read
food labels every time they buy a product.
Table 12: Respondents' reasons for not reading food labels every time
Reasons Frequency (n=152) Percentage
Lack of interest 41 27.0

Familiarity with choice brands 47 30.9
Lack of awareness of food labels 20 13.2
Lack of time 26 17.1
Lack of trust of the information 14 9.2
Others 4 2.6
Total 152 100
In this study, out of the 152 respondents who admitted not reading food labels every time
they bought a food product, about one quarter of respondents (27.0%) stated that it was due to
lack of interest, close to one third of them (30.9%) stated that it was due to familiarity with
brands they patronize, close to one fifth of them (17.1%) stated that it was due to lack of
time. Only 13.2% of them stated they it was due to lack of awareness of the information on
food packages, also, only 9.2% of them stated that it was due to lack of trust in the
authenticity of the information on food labels, while only 4% of them ad other reasons which
include: inability to read, forgetfulness and inability to interpret the information.
Table 13: Respondents' motivation for reading food label information
Motivation Frequency Percentage*
Trying to lose weight 21 8.9
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Religious belief 18 7.6
Health problem 40 16.9
Curiousity to know product 61 25.7
characteristics
Consciousness of eating 55 23.2
healthy
To know if product has 90 38.0
expired
Others 7 3.0
In this study, close to two fifth (38.0%) of the respondents stated that they were motivated by
the need to know if a product has expired. One quarter (25.7%) of the respondents stated that
they were motivated by curiosity to know the characteristics of the product they buy, about
one quarter (23.2%) of the respondents stated that they were motivated by a consciousness of
eating healthy; while only 16.9% of the respondents stated that they were motivated due to a
personal health problem or that of a family member.
Table 14: Distribution of respondents according to circumstances in which respondents

usually read food labels
Circumstance Frequency Percentage*
When buying certain kinds of food 110 46.4

products
When buying food products for 37 15.6
the family
When comparing brands 30 12.7
When buying food products for 33 13.9
someone with a health problem
When buying a product for the 59 24.9
first time
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Close to half (46.4%) of respondents stated that they usually read food labels when buying
certain kinds of food products; one quarter (24.9%) of respondents stated that they usually
read food labels when buying a product for the first time. Only 12.7% of respondents stated
that they usually read food labels when comparing brands.
Table 15: Most important factors influencing respondents' purchasing choice
Factors Frequency Percentage
Advertisement 2 0.8
Appearance and packaging 8 3.4
Brand name 42 17.7
Health concern 96 40.5
Preference for certain ingredients 14 5.9
Price 23 9.7
Religious belief 8 3.4
Taste 41 17.3
Not sure 3 1.3
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Total 237 100
Two fifth of the respondents (40.5%) stated that their purchasing choice is influenced most
by health concern; close tone fifth of them (17.7%) stated that their purchasing choice is
influenced most by brand name; similarly, close tone fifth (17.3%) of them stated that their
purchasing choice is influenced most by taste.
Table 16: Respondents' use of food label information when purchasing a product for the
first time
Hardly 28 11.8
Sometimes 63 26.6
Often 51 21.5
Every time 95 40.1
Total 237 100
Two fifth of the respondents (40.1%) stated that they read food labels every time they
purchased products for the first time; one quarter of respondents (26.6%) stated that they did
so sometimes; one fifth of them (21.5%) stated that they did so often, while one tenth of them
(11.8%) stated that they hardly read food labels when purchasing products for the first time.
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Table 17: Distribution of respondents according to the type of information usually

checked on food labels
Kind of Information Frequency Percentage*
Ingredients 62 26.2
Brand name 37 15.6
Expiry date 195 82.3
Manufacture date 86 36.3
Manufacturer 23 9.7
Net weight 15 6.3
Nutrient content 60 25.3
Storage condition 41 17.3
Instructions for use 50 21.1
Allergen information 18 7.6
NAFDAC number 95 40.1
Country of origin 37 15.6
Price 37 15.6
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Health claim(s) 51 21.5
Majority of respondents (82.3%) stated that they usually check for the expiry date; two fifth
of respondents (40.1%) stated that they usually check for NAFDAC number; one quarter
(26.2%) of respondents stated that they usually check for the ingredients of food products.
Only 6.3% of respondents stated that they usually check for the net weight, one quarter of
respondents (25.3%) stated that they usually check for the nutrient content, one fifth of
respondents (21.5%) stated that they usually check for health claim(s) of the product.
Table 18: Food constituents which respondents are usually concerned about
Food constituent Frequency Percentage*
Energy 55 23.2
Protein 62 26.2
Sugar 68 28.7
Fats 46 19.4
Sodium 18 7.6
Vitamins 59 24.9
Dietary fibre 18 7.6
Cholesterol 56 23.6
Calcium 26 11.0
About one quarter (23.2%) of respondents stated that they are usually concerned about the
energy content of food products; one quarter (26.2%) of them are concerned about protein
content; over one quarter (28.7%) of them are concerned about sugar content; only 7.6% are
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concerned about sodium content; while one quarter of them (24.9%) are concerned about
vitamin content.
Table 19: Influence of nutritional information on respondents' purchasing choice
Frequency of influence on Frequency Percentage

purchasing choice
Does not influence 80 33.8

Influences sometimes 120 50.6
Influences every time 37 15.6
Total 237 100
One third of respondents (33.8%) admitted that nutritional information on food labels does
not influence their purchasing choice; half of them (50.6%) stated that it does sometimes,
while only 15.6% of them stated that it does every time.
Table 20: Grading of respondents’ use of food label information
Good use 51 21.5

Poor use 186 78.5
Total 237 100
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Only one fifth of the respondents (21.5%) had good use of food label information; majority of
the respondents (78.5%) had poor use of food label information.
Table 21: Difficulties encountered by respondents in reading food labels
Difficulty Frequency Percentage
No difficulty 15 6.3
Too small write-up 52 21.9
Bad contrast between text and background 32 13.5
Poor layout of the information 30 12.7
Confusing information 46 19.4
Too much technical terms 56 23.6
Unfamiliar language 43 18.1
Too little information 29 12.2
Inability to apply the information 30 12.7
Not sure of any difficulty 2 0.8
In this study, only 6.3% of respondents stated that they encountered no difficulty when
reading food labels; one fifth of respondents (21.9%) complained that the write-ups on food
labels are often too small to read; over one tenth (13.5%) of them stated that the contrast
between the text and background is often poor; over one tenth of them (12.7%) complained of
poor layout of the information. One fifth of the respondents (19.4%) complained of that the
information are confusing; about one quarter of them (23.6%) stated that the terms are often
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too technical; about one fifth of them (18.1%) stated that the language used was often
unfamiliar; over one tenth of them (12.2%) complained that the information on food labels
are often insufficient; over one tenth of respondents (12.7%) stated that they usually lacked
ability to apply the information contained on the labels.
Table 22: Relationship between socio-demographics and knowledge grade
Variable Good Fair Poor Total X2 P-value

knowledge knowledge knowledge
AGE RANGE
40 years and below 5 (2.5%) 56 (27.4%) 143 (70.1%) 3.2052 0.200
Above 40 years 1 (3.0%) 14 (42.4%) 18 (5.6%)
SEX
Male 1 (1.1%) 31 (33.7%) 60 (65.2%) 2.2838 0.320
Female 5 (3.4%) 39 (26.9%) 101 (69.7%)
LEVEL OF
EDUCATION
No formal 0 (0.0%) 0 (0.0%) 4 (100.0) 13.811 0.030**
education
Primary 12 (75.0%) 4 (25.0%) 0 (0.0%)
Secondary 74 (77.1%) 22 (22.9%) 0 (0.0%)
Tertiary 71 58.7%) 44 (36.3%) 6 (5.0%)
ESTIMATED
MONTHLY
INCOME
None 1 (1.4%) 18 (25.0%) 53 (73.6%) 9.036 0.340
Below 25,000 0 (0.0%) 18 (26.9%) 49 (73.1%)
25,000 – 80,000 3 (4.8%) 20 (32.3%) 39 (62.9%)
80,000 – 150,000 1 (5.0%) 9 (45.0%) 10 (50.0%)
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Above 150,000 1 (6.3%) 5 (31.2%) 10 (62.5%)
Analysis shows that knowledge of food label information was greater in respondents with
higher levels of education; this difference was statistically significant (p<0.05)
Table 23: Relationship between socio-demographics and attitude grade
Variable Positive Negative Total X2 P-value

attitude attitude
AGE RANGE
40 years and below 187 (91.7%) 17 (8.3%) 204 (100%) 0.8629 0.120
Above 40 years 28 (84.9%) 5 (15.1%) 33 (100%)
SEX
Male 130 (89.7%) 15 (10.3%) 0.2282 0.250
Female 85 (92.4%) 7 (7.6%)
LEVEL OF
EDUCATION
No formal 2 (50.0%) 2 (50.0%) 11.7175 0.010
education
Primary 16 (100.0%) 0 (0.0%)
Secondary 84 (87.5%) 12 (12.5%)
Tertiary 113 (93.4%) 8 (6.6%)
ESTIMATED
MONTHLY
INCOME
None 68 (94.4%) 4 (5.6%) 3.687 0.450
Below 25,000 61 (91.0%) 6 (9.0%)
25,000 – 80,000 56 (90.3%) 6 (9.7%)
80,000 – 150,000 17 (85.0%) 3 (15.0%)
Above 150,000 13 (81.2%) 3 (18.8%)
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Analysis shows that attitude to food label information was better in respondents with higher
levels of education; this difference was statistically significant (p<0.05).
Table 24: Relationship between socio-demographics and grading of respondents' use of

food label information
Variable Good use Poor use Total X2 P-value
AGE RANGE
40 years and below 43 (21.1%) 161 (78.9%) 204 (100%) 0.0331 0.340
Above 40 years 8 (24.2%) 25 (75.8%) 33 (100%)
SEX
Male 19 (13.1%) 126 (86.9%) 145 (100%) 14.4067 P<0.001
Female 32 (34.8%) 60 (65.2%) 92 (100%)
LEVEL OF
EDUCATION
No formal 1 (25.0%) 3 (75%) 4 (100%) 0.1734 0.980
education
Primary 3 (18.8%) 13 (81.3%) 16 (100%)
Secondary 20 (20.8%) 76 (79.2%) 96 (100%)
Tertiary 27 (22.3%) 94 (77.7%) 121 (100%)
ESTIMATED
MONTHLY
INCOME
None 18 (25.0%) 54 (75.0%) 72 (100%) 8.8521 0.060
Below 25,000 7 (10.5%) 60 (89.5%) 67 (100%)
25,000 – 80,000 18 (29.0%) 44 (71.0%) 62 (100%)
80,000 – 150,000 3 (15.0%) 17 (85.0%) 20 (100%)
Above 150,000 5 (31.2%) 11 (68.8%) 16 (100%)
Analysis shows that use of food label information was better in females than in males; this
difference was statistically significant (p<0.05)

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CHAPTER 5
DISCUSSION
The research was conducted among residents of Surulere local government area in order to
assess their knowledge, attitude and use of food label information in purchasing pre-packaged
food products. A total of 280 questionnaires were administered, of these, 237 were
completely filled and analyzed. This gives a response rate of 84.6%.
Findings from this study showed that majority (68%) of the respondents had poor knowledge
of food label information. The percentage of those having fair and good knowledge was 32%.
This is comparably similar to findings from a study in Lilongwe, Malawi in which only
26.2% of respondents had fair and good knowledge of the information on food labels.40
On assessment of consumers’ subjective understanding of food label information, results
showed that two fifth (40.5%) of respondents claim to have a very good understanding of
food label information. However, in a study conducted in the United Kingdom, the average
score (on a scale of 10) for consumers’ subjective understanding was about 7/10 which shows
a higher subjective understanding compared to that of respondents in this study.44 This can be
attributed to lower educational status among consumers in Surulere local government area
compared to those in the United Kingdom.
Based on findings from this study, it was seen that although most respondents seemed to be
very aware of the health implication of eating above percentage daily values (also called
recommended dietary allowance (RDA); this awareness does not reflect an in depth
understanding of concept of RDA.
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It could be inferred that most consumers only have a general knowledge of eating within
limits, but lack knowledge of how to apply information on RDA in nutrition facts panels; and
even the relatively fair percentage of correct answers of respondents when asked about
percentage daily values and serving size can be accounted for by the fact that the
questionnaire tested stimulated knowledge with options which gives respondents chance to
guess right: this is evidently shown by the fact that most respondents did not know the
meaning of ‘serving size’.
These findings are comparably similar to findings from a study conducted in the Province of
Warmia and Mazury, Poland in which only 48% of respondents correctly knew the meaning
of the acronym ‘GDA’ (Guideline Daily Amount).41 Findings from a study done in Koforidua
Municipality, Ghana also showed that only 22% of the respondents knew the meaning of
“26% RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) vitamin A per serving” written on a food
label.8 In the study done in the United Kingdom, it was found that although 61% of the
respondents knew the correct meaning of the concept of GDA, only 47% correctly knew that
the reference for GDA is per serving [size] of the food product.44
Also, many respondents could not give correct answers when asked about food constituents
to be reduced in diet due to potential risks experts have associated with them. Majority of
respondents lacked knowledge about the many of the food constituents asked about,
especially saturated fat, trans fat, monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat, among those
who knew of them, many were ignorant of the difference between them.
This corroborates with results from a study conducted in Lilongwe, Malawi, in which it was
found that 73.8% of respondents did not understand the values and terminologies used in
nutrition facts panels.40 Also, in a study conducted in Potchefstroom and Klerksdorp, South
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Africa, results from the study revealed that the consumers had poor understanding of the
information provided on the food labels as was evidenced by their inability to make informed
comparison between different food products by looking at their nutritional information.
In this study, results show that majority of respondents (90.7%) had a positive attitude towards food
label information. Majority of respondents (87.3%) consider food labels as important in guiding
consumers towards eating healthy. This is similar to a study conducted in Turkey, 69.6% of the
respondents said that nutrition fact labels were very useful for them and 70% of them felt that their
food choices are better when they use food labels. 51
This result however differs from findings from a study conducted in Tehran, Iran, in which, less than
half (50%) of the consumers viewed checking nutritional information on food labels as helpful in
purchasing food products with high nutritional value.3 This could be attributed to a greater level of
awareness of the relationship between diet and health among consumers in Surulere local government
area compared to those in Tehran, Iran.
However, nearly half (46%) of respondents opine that food labels are just for advertisement. This
indicates a relatively poor appreciation of the importance of the nutritional information food labels
asides their commercial use. Similarly, in a study conducted in Kwara state, Nigeria results also
showed that most of the respondents considered advertisement as a major use of food labels against
gaining knowledge of products’ nutritional value.47 Also, a study conducted in Lucknow city, Uttar
Pradesh, India showed that consumers were less concerned about the nutrition information on food
label, but were only more interested in the commercial attributes of food labels. 50
In this study, about half (46%) of respondents consider the information on food labels as
being too technical and hard to understand, while 23.6% were not sure if food label
information was hard to understand or not; only 30.4% affirmatively considered food label
information as easy to understand and apply to one’s dietary habits. This is relatively similar
to findings from a study conducted in the cities of Bologna, Rome and Naples, Italy, in which
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72% of respondents considered the information on food labels as being too technical and
difficult to comprehend. 43
In this study, 53.6% of respondents feel that the information provided on food labels are
authentic and trustworthy. However, this is differs greatly from findings from other studies.
In the study conducted in the cities of Bologna, Rome and Naples, Italy, in which of 52% of
consumers feel that nutrition claims on food labels are not very trustworthy.43 Similarly, in a
study conducted in Shenyang, Liaoning province, China, about 70% of the respondents stated
that they do not trust the claims on the food labels.52 In a systematic review conducted in
Canada, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Norway, Europe, Thailand and Trinidad, findings
showed that many consumers had the notion that serving sizes and health claims were
misleading and that food product manufacturers could not be trusted.37
This difference could have resulted from a greater level of trust by consumers in Surulere
local government area in the effectiveness of food labelling regulation by the NAFDAC
compared to the level of trust among consumers in the other studies in the effectiveness of
their food labelling regulation authority.
In this study, majority of respondents (87%) expressed interest in learning more about food
label information and their application to our diet and health. This corroborates with results
from the study conducted in Turkey in which 74.6% of the respondents declared that they
would have liked to be more knowledgeable on the information on food labels in order to
choose a nutritious diet.51
In this study, majority (78.5%) of the respondents had poor use of food label information.
Only 35.9% (n=85) of respondents stated that they read food labels every time they buy a
food product. This result is similar to results obtained from the study conducted in the cities
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of Bologna, Rome and Naples in Italy, in which, out of the 56% of respondents who stated
that they read labels at the point of purchasing food, only 26% declared that they read
nutrition labels regularly.43 Also, in study conducted in Ireland, it was shown that only 25%
of respondents always read food labels.49
Also, only 15.6% of respondents regularly use the information on food labels in deciding
what to purchase. This greatly differs from findings in the study conducted in Maseru,
Lesotho in which results showed that 63.8% of the respondents reported regularly using
nutrition information on food labels while shopping.39 This difference can be attributed to the
poor knowledge of food label information among consumers in Surulere local government
area compared to that of consumers in Maseru, Lesotho in which 59.6% of them had good
knowledge of the information on food labels and were therefore better able to apply it to their
purchasing decisions.
In this study, the two food constituents which respondents were most concerned about were
sugar (28.7%) and protein (26.2%). However, the results were different in a study conducted
in Milan, Italy; vitamin and fat content were the most sought after nutritional information as
indicated by 40% and 36.7% of respondents respectively.23 This disparity could be attributed
to differences in consumers’ preferences between the two studies.
Analysis of findings in this study shows that knowledge of food label information was better
in respondents with higher levels of education. Thus, level of education was the major factor
which affected the knowledge of food label information among the respondents.
In this study, out of the 64.1% of respondents who admitted not reading food labels regularly,
9.2% reported that they do not read food labels every time because they do not trust the
authenticity of the information on them. The same reason was stated in other studies.37,43
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Also, as seen in other studies,51,60,65 lack of time (time constraint) was stated by 17.1% of the
study respondents as a reason for inconsistent reading of food labels. This reason is however
closely related to lack of interest (indicated by 27.0% of respondents), as it has been shown
that consumers often ignore food labels in haste due to lack of interest.57
However, of all the reasons for not reading food labels regularly, the most common
prominent reason observed in this study was familiarity which choice brands. This same
reason was also seen in a study conducted in Botswana.60
Regarding consumers’ motivation for reading food labels, results from this study showed that
the most prominent motivation for reading food labels among the respondents was the need to
know if the product has expired. This motivation was indicated by 38% of the respondents.
Similarly, in a study conducted in Port-Harcourt, Nigeria, it was found that of the close to
50% of respondents who read labels on pastry foods and beverages before purchase, about
67% of the respondents check expiring date only.11
In this study, 46.4% of respondents stated that they read food labels usually when buying
certain kinds of products. This was the most frequent circumstance indicated by the study
respondents in which they read food labels. This is slightly higher compared to a study
conducted in Gaborone, Botswana, in which 37% of the consumers reported checking for
nutrition information only when buying certain foods.60
Also, in this study, only 12.7% of respondents reported reading food labels when comparing
different products, however, that study shows a higher percentage (53%) indicated using
nutrition information when comparing food products.60 This disparity is associated with the
poor knowledge of food label information among In this study, 24.9% of respondents report
reading food labels only when buying a product for the first time, while in that study, a
61
110705092
greater percentage (57%) of respondents reported doing so.60 This difference is connected to
the poor readership of food label information among consumers in Surulere local government
area. Also, in this study, trying to lose weight was a motivation for reading food labels, while
in that study; a greater percentage (48%) reported using food label information when trying to
lose weight.60 This could have resulted from the fact that many respondents interviewed in
this study did not feel they were overweight.
In this study, the most common difficulties encountered by consumers in reading food labels
were use of too technical terms, too small write-ups and unfamiliar language. These
difficulties were also the major issues for respondents in several other studies.48,60,1, 64,45,33
62
110705092
CONCLUSION
This study has shown that the level of knowledge of information on pre-packaged food
product labels among consumers in Surulere local government area is low. Only 2.5% of
respondents had good knowledge of food label information. Although a large proportion of
the consumers acknowledge the impact of diet on health, their appreciation of the nutritional
information presented on food labels, ability to make correct inferences regarding the
information from food labels and apply the information to guide their purchasing choice is
poor.
This study has also however shown that consumers generally have a positive attitude towards
food label information (90.7%). Majority of respondents agree that food labels serve as a
guide towards eating healthy and are interested in knowing more about food label
information.
This study has also shown that the use of food label information among consumers in
Surulere local government area is also poor (21.5%). This is closely associated with the poor
knowledge of food label information among the consumers. Only about one-third of
consumers read food labels regularly; and also only a small proportion of consumers utilize
information on food labels (particularly nutritional information) in choosing what products to
purchase. Finally, most of the consumers encounter the difficulty of too technical terms, too
small write-ups and unfamiliar language in reading food labels.
63
110705092
RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the findings from this study, the following are recommended:
Recommendations to health institutions and non-governmental organizations:
1. Health institutions and non-governmental organizations can organize health
awareness campaigns and programmes that will enlighten the public on the
importance of reading food labels and being guided in their purchase of pre-packaged
food products.
Recommendations to the government:
1. The government should promote public awareness of the impact of diet on health
using television and radio (mass media).
2. The government should promote nutritional education in primary and secondary
schools in order to instill consciousness of healthy eating into primary and secondary
school students and ensure they have sufficient nutritional knowledge which will
improve their knowledge and use of food label information.
3. The government should promulgate stricter policies on food labeling that ensure that
all pre-packaged food products are fully labeled.
64
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65
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APPENDIX I
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

disagree
Agree
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

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…………………………………………………..........................
APPENDIX II
RESPONDENT’S INFORMED CONSENT FORM
Title of Research: Knowledge, attitude and use of food labelling information in purchasing pre-
packaged food products among consumers in Surulere local government area.
Name and Affiliation of Researcher: This study is being conducted by KAYODE GODWIN, an
undergraduate student of the Department of Community Health and Primary care, College of Medicine of the
University of Lagos.
Introduction: A food label is any written, printed or graphic material that is present on the package
of food which gives a variety of information about the nutritional value of the food item. There are
many information are found on food labels, they include list of ingredients, name of the food,
expiry date, manufacture date, name of the manufacturer, net content, nutritional information,
storage condition, instructions for use, health claim, price of the food, NAFDAC number, country
of origin, allergen information, serving size information. The information on food labels is useful to
help consumers make informed choices on what food to purchase.
Purpose of research: This research aims;
1. To determine the level of knowledge of nutrition information on pre-packaged food product
labels among consumers in Surulere local government area.
2. To assess the attitude of consumers in Surulere local government area towards food label
information.
3. To assess the use of food label information among consumers in Surulere local government
area.
4. To identify factors associated with knowledge and use of food label information among
consumers in Surulere local government area.
Potential benefits
This study will increase the awareness of the participant about the correct knowledge, attitude and
use of food labelling information.
Possible risks, discomforts and inconvenience
There are no possible risks, discomforts or inconvenience associated with this study as participants
are only required to fill out questionnaires administered to them which does not require any
personal information.
Willingness to participate
Participation in this study is completely voluntary. Participant can choose not to participate. There
is no payment attached to participation. Participant can choose to withdraw from the research at any
time.
Confidentiality
All information provided during the course of the interview are regarded as confidential and will
not be used in any other study apart from that for which it has been collected.
Statement of Person Obtaining Informed Consent:
“I have fully explained the research to the respondent and given sufficient information, including
the risks and benefits to make an informed decision.”
Date …………………………………… Signature ……………………………………
Statement of Person Giving Consent:
I have read the description of the research; I understand that my participation is voluntary. I know
enough about the purpose, methods, risks and benefits of the research study to judge that I want to
partake in it. I understand that I may freely stop being part of this study at any time. I have received
a copy of this consent form to keep for myself.
Date …………………………………….. Signature …………………………….
For further enquiries, please contact:
Researcher’s contact:
KAYODE GODWIN O.
Phone number: 08185516836
Email: kayodegodwin12@gmail.com
Department of Community Health & Primary Care

College of Medicine, University of Lagos.
Supervisor’s contact:
DR. FOLU OLATONA
Department of Community Health & Primary Care
Email: folaton@gmail.com
Health Research Ethics Committee’s Contact
Room 107, Administrative block
Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, Lagos

Knowledge, Attitude and Use of Food Label Information in Purchasing Pre-Packaged Food Products Among Consumers in Surulere Local Government Area

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Knowledge, Attitude and Use of Food Label Information in Purchasing Pre-Packaged Food Products Among Consumers in Surulere Local Government Area

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KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND USE OF FOOD LABEL INFORMATION IN

PURCHASING PRE-PACKAGED FOOD PRODUCTS AMONG CONSUMERS IN

KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND USE OF FOOD

In partial fulfillment of the requirement of the award

any other examination.

KAYODE GODWIN OLUWASHEUN …………………………….

DR. FOLU OLATONA …………………………

MR. O. J. AKINSOLA …………………………….

completion of this project.

in purchasing pre-packaged food products among consumers in Surulere local government

area was carried out by KAYODE Godwin Oluwasheun under my supervision.

DR. FOLU OLATONA ………………………….

guidance without which this project would have been impossible.

thank you so much for your support and prayers.

reward you richly.

I owe a special appreciation to my colleagues Oshodi Moboluwaduro, Odediran David and

this study. I am immensely grateful to you.

project, I am very grateful. God bless you.

Table 1 Socio-demographic characteristics of respondents.....................................................37

Table 2 Socio-demographic characteristics of respondents.................................................... 38

Table 3 Respondents’ subjective knowledge of food label information................................. 39

Table 4 Source of knowledge about food label information....................................................39

for health concerns………………………………………………….......................................40

diet for health their benefits......................................................................................................41

Table 8 Knowledge grade of respondents................................................................................42

Table 9 Respondents’ attitude to food label information….....................................................43

Table 10 Attitude grade of respondents……………………...................................................44

Table 13 Respondents’ motivation for reading food label information……...........................46

Table 14 Circumstances in which respondents usually read food

Table 15 Most important factor influencing respondents’ purchasing choice.........................48

Table 17 Information respondents usually check for on food labels...................................... 50

Table 19 Influence of nutritional information on respondents’ purchasing choice.................52

Table 20 Grading of respondents’ use of food label information........................................... 52

Table 21 Difficulties encountered by respondents in reading food labels...............................53

Table 22 Table of association between socio-demographics and knowledge grade................54

Table 24 Table of association between socio-demographics and attitude grade..............…...55

Table 25 Table of association between socio-demographics and grading of respondents’ use

of food label information……………………………………………………………………..56

RDA – Recommended Dietary Allowance

WHO – World Health Organization

GDA – Guideline Daily Amount

food label information in purchasing pre-packaged food products among consumers in

Surulere local government area.

regularly utilized the information on food labels in deciding what to purchase.

information in purchasing pre-packaged food products despite having a positive attitude to

unwholesome) could have on consumers’ health necessitates the provision of information

importance of food labels.

labelling (according to Collins English dictionary) is the practice of providing such

information about food products on labels.

labelling is a valuable tool in protecting and promoting public health3, 4 as it provides

also promotes consumption of balanced diet.1

promoting public health.

therefore carefully read the information written on the food label.

and not paid attention to at the point of purchase.

due to taste preferences.3

nutritional information written on the food labels.9

An empirical determination of consumers’ reaction to nutritional labeling of pre-packaged

knowledge, attitude and use of food label information is related to non-communicable

they may need to avoid due to pre-existing health conditions.3

negative effects to consumers such as purchase of expired pre-packaged food products or

would negatively impact on the socio-economic life of the nation at large.

In Nigeria, there is a shortage of information on consumer understanding, attitude and

been an increase in diet-related health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cancers,