November 30, 2006

As people become more health conscious, demand grows for information about the nutrient content and health impact of foods eaten in the diet. In response to this, nutrition information on packaging is becomingly increasingly common. How is this information processed by consumers? How much of this information do consumers believe? How can they distinguish between what is true and false? These are some of the queries addressed in a recent study on Consumer Responses to Nutrition and Health Claims commissioned by the Asian Food Information Centre (AFIC) earlier this year.  

Information and Choices

Consumers gather information on the food they purchase from various sources - family members, mass media, the Internet, advertising and educators, amongst others. These sources provide different levels of information on various foods and food ingredients, all of which serve to shape consumers' perceptions of the foods that they are eating. Information appears on the packaging of food products in various forms: The nutrition panel, providing actual content of nutrients such as energy (calories), fats, and sodium (salt) is one basic source of information on many products. Also widely found on food packaging are health claims. For example, the label on a carton of milk might indicate that the product is a rich source of calcium, and that this is a nutrient which is useful in reducing the risk of osteoporosis or a can of tomato juice might indicate it is a concentrated source of the antioxidant, lycopene. From a health perspective, such information has the potential to contribute actively and positively to public health objectives, by allowing consumers to make more informed food choices and enabling consumers to plan their diets around their own health goals.  

An additional benefit of increasing availability of information, is that it provides consumers with a greater range of alternatives. In the past many consumers with special dietary goals focused primarily on eliminating certain foods from their diets, but many consumers can now also find substitute foods, or even foods which may positively contribute to their personal health goals. For example, previously consumers with high levels of cholesterol might have considered simply eliminating foods high in cholesterol and saturated fats. Now, with greater access to information and wider food choices, choosing foods with mainly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat content or foods fortified with plant stanols or sterols which actively lower blood cholesterol levels, are just two examples of how consumers can expand, rather than narrow the variety of foods making up their daily diet. 

Helpful Information

AFIC's 2006 survey on Consumer Responses to Nutrition and Health Claims in China and Malaysia revealed that the respondents found information presented in some forms more helpful than others.  Nutrient content claims, for example, which are most commonly found on food products and merely present information on the nutrient composition of the food product, were found to be moderately helpful in understanding the nutritional value of food choices.  But claims that also described the role of the nutrient or dietary ingredient in relation to health and to bodily functions were found to be even more helpful.  

Information Overload

However, more information does not always lead consumers to make better choices. Consumers are aware that labeling is also a marketing tool for food products. Therefore, consumers were sometimes unsure how to separate facts from unfounded claims. Consumer response was in some instances, skeptical and in others, confused and concerned.  

AFIC's study also found that respondents tended to screen out information on food packaging that they did not understand, were unfamiliar with, or, was not relevant to their current health concerns and objectives. Many of the respondents indicated that they were not motivated to read detailed or comprehensive information on food packaging when they purchased products. In general, perceptions and mindsets were pre-determined by their other sources of information, such as media, books, families, etc.

Judging Information

So how can consumers judge the value of the information found on the food packaging today? 

Clearly, a basic understanding of which nutrients or bioactives can help address health concerns or dietary needs is essential. For example, those who have been advised to reduce their total dietary sodium intake could actively look out for products naturally low in salt or sodium; or products which have been modified to create lower sodium content than standard. 

To meet more complex information needs, consumers can also look out for endorsements from professional health associations on food products. Such endorsements are almost invariably based on scientific evidence, rather than on anecdotal stories or marketing promotions. The AFIC study did find that such endorsements improved respondents' confidence and that in general, they trusted the judgment of associations and regulatory bodies. Furthermore, most respondents also tended to assume that nutrition information on food products was controlled by national regulatory bodies, although the basis for this belief was not clear. 

Information for the Long Term

Developments in science, education, and more effective means of information dissemination have resulted in greater awareness of health and dietary requirements, enabling many consumers to make more informed choices. However, for consumers to really benefit from better informed decisions on the role of diet, any dietary changes made need to be sustained long term. 

AFIC's s study found very limited understanding of the concept of long term change for long term benefits amongst the respondents. The study found a tendency to think in terms of immediate impacts of diet on health and little focus on the cumulative impact of dietary habits on long term health. This is not in line with current mainstream medical understanding, where long term dietary modifications is a key public health priority. For example, there is substantial scientific evidence for the positive impact of long term adoption of the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, which emphasizes plenty of grains, fruits and vegetables and low-fat dairy foods, to promote weight loss and help lower blood pressure. Conversely, there is little or no scientific evidence that vegetables such as the Indian Pennywort or Pergaga as it is known in Malaysia, actually lowers blood pressure immediately after it is ingested as the respondents in the AFIC study hoped and believed. 

The AFIC study also found that respondents did not distinguish between modern nutritional scientific information and traditional understanding of food-health associations. Traditional food and health associations such as the relationship between the black wood ear fungus and lung health in traditional Chinese belief, are based on history of use and not on scientific testing. Globally much of the current efforts to establish regulatory control of nutrition and health claims are based on a different method of evaluation - scientific substantiation, to be precise. When assessing the credibility of nutritional information, consumers may need to consider different evaluation approaches towards modern foods and traditional foods.

This presents a considerable challenge for even the most committed and health conscious consumers. The sheer volume of information associated with health and nutrient claims makes it almost impossible for a typical lay person to assimilate the requisite knowledge and make an independent evaluation. Advice from a neutral third party source would seem to be the most sensible strategy, the assurance of approval or endorsement for the packaging claim from a professional association or regulatory body was one common consumer strategy the AFIC study identified. Seeking additional information in a less time-pressured environment than a shopping trip (for example searching the Internet or reading news articles) was another. Both seem eminently sensible ways for consumers to benefit from the ever expanding range of products designed to enhance health and expand consumer choice.