More than a quarter of consumers are grappling with food labels but many are still not bothering to read them, says new research.
A survey of more than 1,000 consumers conducted by research company Harris Interactive between January and February this year revealed that 25% found food labels on new products purchased quite difficult to understand. A further 3% found them very difficult to understand.
Fifty six per cent of respondents said they were quite easy to understand and 16% very easy. However, not all shoppers were bothering to look at them, with nearly a fifth of those polled never or rarely referring to labels.
For those checking labels, the use by/best before date was cited as the most important consideration among three quarters of respondents followed by the ingredients list and nutritional information.
Ethical and environmental considerations were deemed to be far less important among consumers in general.
Dairy product labels were the most frequently checked, by 69% of those who look at labels, closely followed by breakfast cereals and canned foods monitored by 67%.
Confectionery and chocolate were the least-checked categories at 49% and 52% respectively.
A survey of more than 1,000 consumers conducted by research company Harris Interactive between January and February this year revealed that 25% found food labels on new products purchased quite difficult to understand. A further 3% found them very difficult to understand.
Fifty six per cent of respondents said they were quite easy to understand and 16% very easy. However, not all shoppers were bothering to look at them, with nearly a fifth of those polled never or rarely referring to labels.
For those checking labels, the use by/best before date was cited as the most important consideration among three quarters of respondents followed by the ingredients list and nutritional information.
Ethical and environmental considerations were deemed to be far less important among consumers in general.
Dairy product labels were the most frequently checked, by 69% of those who look at labels, closely followed by breakfast cereals and canned foods monitored by 67%.
Confectionery and chocolate were the least-checked categories at 49% and 52% respectively.
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