Apparently, we don’t read the nutrition labels on food because the labels are in the wrong place.
Nutrition labels should be placed in the centre of food packaging, rather than in one corner, if shoppers are going to read them, says a US study.
Using an eye-tracking device, researchers from Minnesota also found that the average consumer only reads the top part of a food content label.
Ah, more research. Presumably using a decent sized representative sample?
They studied 203 people while looking at 64 different grocery products on a computer screen.
That’ll be a “no” then.
I don’t read food labels. I know what I’m looking for, get it off the shelf and put it in the trolley. Shopping is an exercise in the get in there get on with it and get out variety for me. I really don’t want to be wasting time reading labels. So placing the label in the middle of the packet won’t make one iota of difference. I suspect that I am in the majority on this one. I can’t say that I’ve observed fellow shoppers studying the labels.
I’m so sick of food labelling. I’ll pull something out of the freezer and be looking at nutrition, ingredients, RDA’s ect when all I want to know is how to cook the bleeding thing.
Seems a very strange attitude to me. I frequently read labels. I want to know what I’m eating. Why would you apparently take such a pride in not caring what you eat?
Obviously I’m not interested in this RDA nonsense and I don’t need anything to be in the middle of the label, but “I don’t read food labels” seems very odd.
Apart from anything else, I have to check for “enjoy responsibly” or anything similar, the presence of which means it goes straight back on the shelf.
Not really, I know what is in it as I tend to buy raw ingredients. Very little – if any – of our diet is processed foods. I know, therefore, what is in a lamb chop, chicken breast, sugar, salt, vegetables, butter etc. Don’t need labels for that. As I don’t buy alcohol the enjoy responsibly thing doesn’t apply 😉
I don’t know much about the folks in Minnesota, but I do know that if it really matters to you what’s in the food, you’ll find that information wherever it is – just ask any parent whose child has a significant food allergy.
Yeah, I did realise as I wrote it that the “enjoy responsibly” thing didn’t apply to you. But only for now. It will be on your salt soon. 😉
Just so long as I don’t have to get it on the black market 😈