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African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development
Rural Outreach Program
ISSN: 1684-5358 EISSN: 1684-5358
Vol. 19, No. 2, 2019, pp. 14415-14431
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Bioline Code: nd19035
Full paper language: English
Document type: Research Article
Document available free of charge
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African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development, Vol. 19, No. 2, 2019, pp. 14415-14431
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EXPLORING CONSUMER KNOWLEDGE, UNDERSTANDING AND USE OF FOOD AND NUTRITION LABEL INFORMATION IN THE TAMALE METROPOLIS OF GHANA
Aryee, PA; Helegbe, GK; Agordoh, PD; Mohammed, A-J; Muntala, J; Koblaji, FA & Kumoji, HN
Abstract
The perception that consumers in low Income Countries have poor knowledge and
understanding of food or nutrition labels and, therefore, do not rely on them at the point
of purchase is rife. This study was aimed at assessing consumer knowledge and
understanding and its influence on food label usage in the Tamale Metropolis of Ghana.
An analytical cross-sectional study design was employed and mainly literate adults aged
15 to 60 years were conveniently selected and interviewed at various points-of-purchase
including supermarkets, provision shops and other trading outlets. Data were analysed
using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) for windows (version 19.0).
Percentages were calculated and reported for descriptive statistics whilst chi-square tests
of significance and regression analysis were employed to measure relationships between
variables. Statistically significant differences were accepted at p<0.05. Out of the 384
consumers interviewed, 98.4% (n=378) were aware of food labels, yet, only 66.7 %
(n=256) claimed they understood the labels. A large proportion (95.8%) also claimed
they checked but just about 51.9% said they did so “always”. Most (89.3%) claimed they
are influenced by key factors on the labels with the level of influence being highest with
nutrition content, followed by expiry date, health-claim, price and advertisement
respectively. However, at the point-of-purchase most (79.4) revealed they looked out for
expiry date. Socio-demographic characteristics including gender (p=0.009), age
(p=0.017), occupation (p=0.042), educational level (p=0.022) and income (p=0.051)
were significantly associated with consumers’ understanding of the labels, with gender
remaining the only significant predictor. Furthermore, age (p=0.054), occupation
(p=0.0.007) and educational level (p<0.001) showed significant associations with food
label usage. Education level (Tertiary) emerged the only significant predictor of food
label usage. The level of knowledge and use of nutrition information on food packages
among predominantly literate consumers in the Tamale Metropolis of Ghana can be
compared to that of consumers in other parts of the world. These results may inform the
need for developing an approach towards future information and education strategies for
health professionals and other stakeholders interested in consumer awareness activities.
Keywords
Nutrition label; food Label; Consumer; Point-of-purchase; Nutrition information; Tamale
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