Nutrition Confusion: How Many People Really Read Nutrition Labels?

Americans find nutrition and nutrition labels to be confusing. According to a recent survey, people find it easier filling out their income taxes than they do deciphering nutritional labels. In fact, the piece of information they most often glean from the label on a food product is the expiration date. Still, the paper the nutrition label is printed on isn’t wasted. Sixty-six percent of shoppers at least glance at the Nutrition Facts label. Half take note of the calories, serving size and how much is in the package and glance at the ingredients, but most don’t read the “fine print.” When they do, most give the greatest weight to the calorie content when determining what to buy, while a little more than 60% consider the sugar content, fiber content, fat content or the amount of salt in a product.

Taste Tops Nutrition

Even though people say they’re concerned about making healthier food choices, about 87% use taste as the determining factor in what they buy, followed by cost at 73%. Only 61% give nutrition top priority when choosing products. Over half of all shoppers say they prefer to simply enjoy eating rather than worry about the nutritional content of what they’re munching on. Even more disturbing, more than 70% of people have no idea how many calories they need daily to maintain their weight.

There are some bright spots from the survey. People are getting the message about sugar. Twenty-percent of people believe sugar is a significant cause of weight gain, up from 11 percent last year. Almost 18% believe that dietary fat contributes most to weight gain. Hence, the continued popularity of low-fat and fat-free products.

Nutrition Labels Can Be Misleading

Nutrition labels themselves are part of the problem. If you don’t read the fine print, they can be misleading. Manufacturers know that people who read nutrition labels are concerned about the calorie count. To keep the number low, they print the calorie count for a half serving, hoping you won’t realize the calorie count is actually double. Then there’s the issue of trans-fat free not really meaning trans-fat free. A manufacturer can label a product as “zero grams of trans fat” as long as it contains less than 0.5 grams. Most people assume zero really means zero and are unknowingly buying products that contain trans-fat. Less than 0.5 grams may not sound like much, but it is if you eat multiple servings. Plus, most experts believe that even small amounts of trans-fat are unhealthy.

The other way manufacturers add to the confusion is by giving the impression that a product is healthy by using key phrases on the label like “low-fat” or “natural.” When consumers see these ‘healthy phrases,” it gives them the impression that the product must be good for them despite the 15 grams of sugar it contains. The same goes for organic. Some consumers mistakenly believe that a product is healthy because it’s labeled organic. In one study, consumers perceived foods labeled as organic to be lower in calories and fat and higher in fiber than the same food not labeled organic.

The Bottom Line?

Consumers are still more concerned about taste and price than they are about how healthy a food product is and continue to be confused by nutrition labels. On the upside, there is a growing concern about the amount of sugar in food products and more people acknowledge its role in obesity. At least that’s a step in the right direction.

References:

Food Processing Magazine. July 2012. “Americans Are Confused”

Science Daily. “Health Halo Effect: Don’t Judge a Food by Its Organic Label”

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