Consumer Awareness on Labeled Food Products in Digos City, Philippines

Abstract

Food label information assists consumers to better understand the nutritional value of the food. This study was conducted to determine the consumer awareness on labeled food products. There were 115 respondents interviewed while shopping at various shopping stores in Digos City. An exploratory and descriptive design method was used and data was analyzed using a cross-tabulation method and chi-square test. Results show that the most frequently referred labeling information are the expiry date and list of ingredients. Consumers were motivated to read labeling information because they are health conscious and want to know characteristics of the food. High level of awareness on food labeling information was observed among female respondents. Furthermore, consumers’ awareness of the information on the food labels is not determined by age, level of education, type of occupation, and gender. The level of education, gender, and type of occupation affect the extent of consumers’ knowledge about the importance of food labeling. It was found that the high extent of knowledge was observed among respondents who had college education. On the other hand, respondents within the 31-to-40-year-old age bracket and those who attained college degree perceived food labeling as very important. Furthermore, the consumers’ perception on the importance of food labeling information is affected by age, level of education, and type of occupation. Steps should be taken to improve food labeling, especially the labeling style, to provide clear, readable information, as well as develop consumer guidelines on purchasing labeled food products.