Islam Md Nazrul, Roy Nitai, Madilo Felix Kwashie, Akinsemolu Adenike, Arifuzzaman Md, Shakil Md Imran Hossain, Nishi Jannatul Ferdous, Akter Sharmin, Elius Md, Islam Md Shahidul
Department of Post-Harvest Technology and Marketing, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Science Patuakhali Science and Technology University Dumki Patuakhali Bangladesh.
Department of Biochemistry and Food Analysis, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Science Patuakhali Science and Technology University Dumki Patuakhali Bangladesh.
Food Sci Nutr. 2024 Jul 29;12(10):7552-7567. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.4366. eCollection 2024 Oct.
This research aimed to assess consumers' knowledge, perception, and practical understanding of food labels. A validated, structured questionnaire was employed for data collection. Data were collected from 1238 respondents covering all eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh using a nonrandomized convenience sampling method. Linear regression analyses were conducted to establish the relationship between demographic attributes and respondents' practical understanding of food labels. The majority of participants (52.5%) actively read food labels when purchasing a product for the first time. Food labels are regarded as "very important" by 56.2% of respondents and "important" by 35.7% of respondents. Label information is prioritized to highlight the importance of clear production and expiration dates (70%), followed by nutritional composition (56.7%) and source of raw material (52.5%). Despite this, over half of the participants demonstrated a limited practical understanding of the nutritional components on labels. The results of our linear regression analysis suggest that individuals within the age range of 18-28, belonging to Muslim communities, residing in the Dhaka and Khulna divisions, being higher educated, possessing a good understanding of nutrition, and being acquainted with the food safety agency of Bangladesh tend to exhibit a greater degree of practical knowledge regarding food labeling when compared to their counterparts. The study emphasizes the importance of clearer label information, particularly for nutritional value, and calls for targeted educational programs to improve consumer understanding of food labels, with a focus on older age groups and expanded educational efforts.
本研究旨在评估消费者对食品标签的知识、认知和实际理解。采用经过验证的结构化问卷进行数据收集。使用非随机便利抽样方法，从覆盖孟加拉国所有八个行政区的1238名受访者中收集数据。进行线性回归分析以确定人口统计学属性与受访者对食品标签的实际理解之间的关系。大多数参与者（52.5%）在首次购买产品时会主动阅读食品标签。56.2%的受访者认为食品标签“非常重要”，35.7%的受访者认为“重要”。标签信息的优先级是突出生产日期和保质期的重要性（70%），其次是营养成分（56.7%）和原材料来源（52.5%）。尽管如此，超过一半的参与者对标签上的营养成分实际理解有限。我们的线性回归分析结果表明，与同龄人相比，年龄在18 - 28岁之间、属于穆斯林社区、居住在达卡和库尔纳行政区、受过高等教育、对营养有良好理解且了解孟加拉国食品安全机构的人，往往对食品标签有更高程度的实际了解。该研究强调了更清晰的标签信息的重要性，特别是对于营养价值，并呼吁开展有针对性的教育项目，以提高消费者对食品标签的理解，重点关注老年群体并扩大教育力度。
