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FOOD LABELLING ISSUES: QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH WITH CONSUMERS

FOOD LABELLING ISSUES: QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH WITH CONSUMERS. A Presentation to Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). Job Number C02020 May 2003. Main Menu. LABEL ELEMENT. LABEL CONSUMERS. 1. Overview. 2. Choose Specific Element. 3. Overview. 4. Choose Consumer Segment.

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FOOD LABELLING ISSUES: QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH WITH CONSUMERS

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  1. FOOD LABELLING ISSUES: QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH WITH CONSUMERS A Presentation toFood Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) Job Number C02020 May 2003

  2. Main Menu LABEL ELEMENT LABEL CONSUMERS 1. Overview 2. Choose Specific Element 3. Overview 4. Choose Consumer Segment 5. Background and Objectives 6. Methodology Click Boxes 1 to 6 for further detail

  3. Label Element Menu OVERVIEW OF LABEL ELEMENTS 1. Needs & Attitudes 2. Awareness 3. Use 4. Label Interpretation Back to Main Menu Click Boxes 1 to 4 for further detail

  4. Label Element Menu Ingredient List Advisory Statement Preparation/Storage NIP Warning Statement Health Claim Allergen Declaration Country of Origin Novel Food Percentage Labelling GMO Endorsements Nutrient Claim Irradiated Foods Date Mark Back to Main Menu Click Label Element Box for further detail

  5. Background to the Research • In 2002, NFO Donovan Research was commissioned to conduct a quantitative study with consumers in Australia and New Zealand. The purpose of the research was to asses the impact of the changed labelling provisions featured in the new joint Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (the Code.) This entailed the analysis of: • consumer awareness of label elements; • the level of consumer understanding of label elements; and • the role of labels in making informed choices about food products. This research is based on qualitative research conducted by NFO Donovan Research in 2001 for FSANZ. It provides baseline data for the future evaluation of the new labelling provisions in the Code, that came into full effect on 20 December 2002.

  6. Research Objectives Specifically, the research provides baseline data on the following: • What consumers currently look forin the labels of packaged food and in unpackaged food; • Whether consumers are familiar with the various major labelling elements and new labelling information.; • Whether and how consumers use labelling information, and their reasons; • Concern about the clarity and trustworthiness of label elements; • Whether changes to labelling have changed consumers’ purchasing decisions, and if so in relation to which element in particular; • Whether consumers are able to interpret labels correctly; • Which label elements consumers find difficult to interpret. Back to Main Menu

  7. Sydney • Melbourne • Perth • Adelaide • Hobart • Canberra • Darwin • Brisbane Australia n = 1259 New Zealand n = 681 • Auckland • Christchurch • Whangarei • Hamilton • Tauranga • Rotorua • Gisborne • Invercargill • Napier • Hastings • Palmerston Nth • Dunedin • Wanganui • Nelson • Timaru Methodology Overview: • The interviews were conducted door-to-door with the general public in Australia and New Zealand during August and September 2002. • All participants were aged 18 or over and a mix of main grocery shoppers and non-grocery shoppers was obtained • All participants were offered a $2 scratch lottery ticket as an incentive to take part in the research. • The total number of interviews conducted was n=1940

  8. Methodology The Questionnaire • The questionnaire was developed in close consultation with FSANZ, to be administered face to face to consumers in the major cities of Australia and New Zealand. • Interviews were conducted door-to-door, by interviewers from IQCA accredited fieldwork companies : SurveyTalk (Australia) and NFO New Zealand. • All interviewers were fully briefed on the project in person, and all efforts were made to ensure they had a high degree of familiarity and comprehension of the questionnaire. • The final version of the questionnaire was 26 pages in length, and the average interview running time was 34 minutes in New Zealand and 30 minutes in Australia

  9. Methodology Pre-test and Pilot Test The development and testing of the questionnaire and stimulus materials included four stages: Stage 1: • Consultation with and extensive feedback from key FSANZ staff in Australia and New Zealand, on the questionnaire framework and flow chart, developed by NFO Donovan Research. Stage 2: • Question pre-testing using cognitive interviewing and group discussions. Stage 3: • Formal pilot in Australia (Sydney) via n=30 interviews, followed by interviewer debrief. Improvements to question wording, length and stimulus materials were made after this stage. Stage 4: • Formal pilot in New Zealand (Auckland) via n=20 interviews, followed by interviewer debrief.

  10. Denotes a statistically significant difference within the subgroups at the 95% confidence level Sample Demographics The table below details the age categories of survey participants, compared to National 2001 Census Data collected by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Statistics New Zealand (2001).

  11. Sample Demographics Education statistics of the sample Gender, Ethnicity and Language Demographics of the sample Denotes a statistically significant difference within the subgroups at the 95% confidence level

  12. Sample Demographics Household situation statistics of the sample Proportion of main grocery shoppers in the sample, and reported income brackets of all participants **Total household income proportions do not account for currency exchange rates between Australia and New Zealand Denotes a statistically significant difference within the subgroups at the 95% confidence level Back to Main Menu

  13. Special Needs Q1. Do you or any members of your family have any special needs listed on this card and are therefore more careful about choosing food products? BASE: All respondents n=1940

  14. Attitudes Q2. Here are five statements about buying food and I’d like you to tell me which one best describes how you feel when buying food for your household. BASE: All respondents n=1940 Denotes a statistically significant difference between the subgroups at the 95% confidence level

  15. Attitudes by Special Needs Q2. Here are five statements about buying food and I’d like you to tell me which one best describes how you feel when buying food for your household. BASE: All respondents n=1940 Denotes a statistically significant difference between the subgroups at the 95% confidence level

  16. Attitudes by Gender Q2. Here are five statements about buying food and I’d like you to tell me which one best describes how you feel when buying food for your household. BASE: All respondents n=1940 Denotes a statistically significant difference between the subgroups at the 95% confidence level

  17. Attitudes by Age Q2. Here are five statements about buying food and I’d like you to tell me which one best describes how you feel when buying food for your household. BASE: All respondents n=1940

  18. Attitudes by Age Q2. Here are five statements about buying food and I’d like you to tell me which one best describes how you feel when buying food for your household. BASE: All respondents n=1940 Denotes a statistically significant difference to unmarked subgroups at the 95% confidence level

  19. Specific Consumer Attitudes Q3. Here are a number of things other people have said about selecting food products. How strongly do you agree or disagree with each statement? “I’ve always been able to find any information I need on a food or drink label.” “When I read the labels on food products, I just focus on one of two things, such as the levels of fat or if there are preservatives.” “Generally speaking, it’s easy to understand and use the information on food labels.” “I find some information on food labels really useful or important.” “It’s hard to tell which parts of the label are advertising and which are standard information manufacturers have to put on it.” “I don’t have enough time to read food labels when I’m shopping even if I wanted to.”

  20. Strongly agree Tend to agree Neither agree or disagree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Attitudes continued Q3. How strongly do you agree or disagree with each statement? BASE: All respondents n=1940 “I’ve always been able to find any information I need on a food or drink label.” Denotes a statistically significant difference in overall agreement or disagreement (combined strongly or tend to) between the subgroups at the 95% confidence level

  21. 48% 38% Strongly agree Tend to agree Neither agree or disagree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Attitudes continued Q3. How strongly do you agree or disagree with each statement? BASE: All respondents n=1940 “I’ve always been able to find any information I need on a food or drink label.” Total Country Health Conscious Special Needs 51% 65% 41% Denotes a statistically significant difference in overall agreement or disagreement (combined strongly or tend to) between the subgroups at the 95% confidence level

  22. Strongly agree Tend to agree Neither agree or disagree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Attitudes continued Q3. How strongly do you agree or disagree with each statement? BASE: All respondents n=1940 “When I read the labels on food products, I just focus on one of two things, such as the levels of fat or if there are preservatives.” Denotes a statistically significant difference in overall agreement or disagreement (combined strongly or tend to) between the subgroups at the 95% confidence level

  23. Strongly agree Tend to agree Neither agree or disagree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Attitudes continued Q3. How strongly do you agree or disagree with each statement? BASE: All respondents n=1940 “When I read the labels on food products, I just focus on one of two things, such as the levels of fat or if there are preservatives.” Health Conscious Total Country Special Needs 60% 68% 39% Denotes a statistically significant difference in overall agreement or disagreement (combined strongly or tend to) between the subgroups at the 95% confidence level

  24. Strongly agree Tend to agree Neither agree or disagree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Attitudes continued Q3. How strongly do you agree or disagree with each statement? BASE: All respondents n=1940 “Generally speaking, it’s easy to understand and use the information on food labels.” Denotes a statistically significant difference in overall agreement or disagreement (combined strongly or tend to) between the subgroups at the 95% confidence level

  25. Strongly agree Tend to agree Neither agree or disagree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Attitudes continued Q3. How strongly do you agree or disagree with each statement? BASE: All respondents n=1940 “Generally speaking, it’s easy to understand and use the information on food labels.” Health Conscious Total Country Special Needs 50% 58% 14% 33% 27% Denotes a statistically significant difference in overall agreement or disagreement (combined strongly or tend to) between the subgroups at the 95% confidence level

  26. Strongly agree Tend to agree Neither agree or disagree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Attitudes continued Q3. How strongly do you agree or disagree with each statement? BASE: All respondents n=1940 “I find some information on food labels really useful or important.” Denotes a statistically significant difference in overall agreement or disagreement (combined strongly or tend to) between the subgroups at the 95% confidence level

  27. Strongly agree Tend to agree Neither agree or disagree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Attitudes continued Q3. How strongly do you agree or disagree with each statement? BASE: All respondents n=1940 “I find some information on food labels really useful or important.” Total Health Conscious Country Special Needs 84% 45% Denotes a statistically significant difference in overall agreement or disagreement (combined strongly or tend to) between the subgroups at the 95% confidence level

  28. Strongly agree Tend to agree Neither agree or disagree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Attitudes continued Q3. How strongly do you agree or disagree with each statement? BASE: All respondents n=1940 “It’s hard to tell which parts of the label are advertising and which are standard information manufacturers have to put on it.” Denotes a statistically significant difference in overall agreement or disagreement (combined strongly or tend to) between the subgroups at the 95% confidence level

  29. Strongly agree Tend to agree Neither agree or disagree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Attitudes continued Q3. How strongly do you agree or disagree with each statement? BASE: All respondents n=1940 “It’s hard to tell which parts of the label are advertising and which are standard information manufacturers have to put on it.” Total Country Health Conscious Special Needs 28% 34% 30% 28% Denotes a statistically significant difference in overall agreement or disagreement (combined strongly or tend to) between the subgroups at the 95% confidence level

  30. Strongly agree Tend to agree Neither agree or disagree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Attitudes continued Q3. How strongly do you agree or disagree with each statement? BASE: All respondents n=1940 “I don’t have enough time to read food labels when I’m shopping even if I wanted to.” Denotes a statistically significant difference in overall agreement or disagreement (combined strongly or tend to) between the subgroups at the 95% confidence level

  31. Strongly agree Tend to agree Neither agree or disagree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Attitudes continued Q3. How strongly do you agree or disagree with each statement? BASE: All respondents n=1940 “I don’t have enough time to read food labels when I’m shopping even if I wanted to.” Health Conscious Total Country Special Needs 36% 28% 33% 27% 35% 62% 38% Denotes a statistically significant difference in overall agreement or disagreement (combined strongly or tend to) between the subgroups at the 95% confidence level

  32. Strongly agree Tend to agree Neither agree or disagree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Attitudes continued Q3. How strongly do you agree or disagree with each statement? BASE: All respondents n=1940 “I’m very interested in food label information.” Denotes a statistically significant difference in overall agreement or disagreement (combined strongly or tend to) between the subgroups at the 95% confidence level

  33. Health Conscious Total Country Special Needs 86% 51% 34% Strongly agree Tend to agree Neither agree or disagree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Attitudes continued Q3. How strongly do you agree or disagree with each statement? BASE: All respondents n=1940 “I’m very interested in food label information.” Return to Overview of Label Elements Menu Denotes a statistically significant difference in overall agreement or disagreement (combined strongly or tend to) between the subgroups at the 95% confidence level

  34. Awareness • Unprompted awareness measures the respondent's ability to recall a food labelling element, it provides an indication of what elements are more ‘top of mind’ than others. • However, for this study, it is not the best way to report awareness of specific label elements, particularly given the number of different elements included in the study, that some elements are much newer than others, and that some elements are similar or related to each other. • It was known from the qualitative research that some consumers described quite incorrectly the features of particular elements, and others use one label element name and mean another (eg nutrient claim vs NIP; ingredients list vs allergen declaration). • For these reasons prompted awareness (measured using label illustrations) is a more realistic and accurate measure of awareness. Prompted awareness measures recognition - a more appropriate mental task, and thus a more accurate measure of 'true awareness'. Therefore throughout this study, we refer to and report in more detail on prompted measures of awareness.

  35. Awareness (unprompted) Q4a. Firstly, thinking about all of the different types of food products available to buy, can you tell me what kinds of information can be found on packaged food and drink products? BASE: All respondents n=1940

  36. Awareness continued Q4a. Firstly, thinking about all of the different types of food products available to buy, can you tell me what kinds of information can be found on packaged food and drink products? BASE: All respondents n=1940

  37. Awareness (prompted) Q4b. These pictures show 16 different types of information found on labels. Which of these do you recognise?

  38. Awareness (prompted) Q4b. These pictures show 16 different types of information found on labels. Which of these do you recognise? Click here for more information

  39. Unprompted awareness Prompted awareness (recognised) Awareness (prompted) Q4b. These pictures show 16 different types of information found on labels. Which of these do you recognise?

  40. Unprompted awareness Prompted awareness (recognised) Awareness (prompted) Q4b. These pictures show 16 different types of information found on labels. Which of these do you recognise? Return to Overview of Label Elements Menu

  41. Use Use of label elements Q4c. Which of these types of information do you use? BASE: All respondents n=1940

  42. Use Use of label elements continued Q4c. Which of these types of information do you use? BASE: All respondents n=1940

  43. Use most Use of label elements Q4d. Thinking about all the different types of foods and drinks that you buy, which three types of information do you use the most? BASE: All respondents n=1940

  44. Use most Use of label elements continued Q4d. Thinking about all the different types of foods and drinks that you buy, which three types of information do you use the most? BASE: All respondents n=1940

  45. n=1277 n=1276 n=235 n=613 n=725 n=1639 n=70 n=119 n=378 Nature of element use Q5b. When buying [nominated food type] ... how often do you look at [element]...?

  46. n=80 n=324 n=71 n=43 n=338 Nature of element use Q5b. When buying ... how often do you look at ...?

  47. n=1277 n=1277 n=235 n=615 n=723 n=1635 n=70 Nature of element use - clarity of element Q5c. Which of the following best describes how clear and easy to understand you think ... is?

  48. n=117 n=380 n=80 n=324 n=71 n=43 n=336 Nature of element use - clarity of element Q5c. Which of the following best describes how clear and easy to understand you think ... is? Base for Irradiated foods (n=7) - too small to report

  49. Reasons why element is not as clear as it could be (main reasons) Ingredients (n=93): Scientific language (39%) NIP (n=78): Vague / confusing terms (35%) Incomplete / not enough detail (32%) Allergen declaration (n=28): Scientific language (25%) Percentage label (n=47): Incomplete / not enough detail (40%) Nutrient claim (n=46): Vague / confusing terms (30%) Incomplete / not enough detail (24%) Date mark (n=157): Can’t find it / hidden (62%) Elements not listed had bases too small to provide valid reporting

  50. Nature of element use - trustworthiness of element Q5d. How much do you feel you can trust the information given in the ...? n=1271 n=1271 n=234 n=614 n=721 n=1630 n=70 n=118 n=377

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