消費者“忽略營養標籤”

Consumers 'don't pay attention to nutrition labels'

24 October 2011 Last updated at 07:46 GMT

Source: BBC Health News 

Nutrition labels should be placed in the centre of food packaging, rather than in one corner, if shoppers are going to read them, says a US study.

根據美國一項研究表示，如果顧客要參閱食品成分，營養標籤應放置在食品包裝的中心，而不是在某一個角落裡。

Using an eye-tracking device, researchers from Minnesota also found that the average consumer only reads the top part of a food content label.

They studied 203 people while looking at 64 different grocery products on a computer screen. 

The Journal of the American Dietetic Association published the results.

來自明尼蘇達州的的研究人員使用眼球追踪設備還發現，一般消費者只讀取食品成分標籤的上半部分。

他們研究了203人在計算機屏幕上注視64個不同的雜貨店產品。

美國飲食協會雜誌發表這項結果。 

In the study, participants were asked to view three elements on a typical food product - the nutrition contents label, a picture and list of ingredients, and a description of the product with price and quantity information - on the left, on the right or in the centre of the packaging.    

One third of the participants each saw the nutrition label in one of those positions and were asked whether they would consider buying the product.

在這項研究中，受試者被要求查看- 在包裝的左邊，右邊或中心- 一個典型的食品產品的三個要素 - 營養標籤，圖片和組合配料表，描述產品的價格和數量的信息。

其中三分之一的受試者看到這些營養標籤的位置之ㄧ，並詢問他們是否會考慮購買該產品。

Participants were aware that their eye movements would be tracked, but unaware that the study was investigating nutrition information. 

受試者知道，他們的眼睛運動進行跟踪，但對這項研究是調查的營養信息卻毫無警覺。

Position test

位置測試

When the nutrition contents label was presented in the centre, subjects read one or more sections of 61% of the labels compared with 37% and 34% of labels among participants randomly assigned to view labels on the left and right hand sides of the screen.

當營養內容標籤放置中心時，對讀取一個或多個營養資訊的部分為61％，與受試者隨機分配的對照組相比數值，查看屏幕上的左手方的標籤為37％和右手方的標籤為34％。

Very few consumers viewed every component on any label.”

很少有消費者仔細參閱標籤上的每個部件。“

Dan GrahamUniversity of Minnesota

明尼蘇達大學的丹格雷厄姆

In addition, labels in the centre of the product were seen to receive more than 30% more viewing time than the same labels when positioned to one side of the product.

The researchers also observed that most consumers view the contents of the label nearest the top more than those at the bottom of the label.

此外，在產品的中心標籤比放在任一邊的標籤說明更易被看見且接收超過 30％以上的觀看時間。

研究人員還發現，大多數消費者觀看標籤上方內容更比那些標籤在底部的更多。

The study says that many more participants said they looked at the content of the nutrition labels than actually did when their viewing of the labels was tracked and measured.

Only 9% of participants actually looked at the calorie count for almost all products in the study, compared to 33% who said they did when asked.

研究報告說，有更多的受試者說，當他們觀看標籤被追踪和測量時他們觀看營養標籤的內容比實際上多。

在研究中顯示，只有9％的受試者在觀看所有產品時會實看卡路里含量，與當被問及是否有看時相比有33％的人說有看。

Researchers Dan Graham and Robert Jeffrey, from the division of epidemiology and community health at the University of Minnesota, said: "The results of this study suggest that consumers have a finite attention span for Nutrition Facts labels.

"Although most consumers did view labels, very few consumers viewed every component on any label.

"These results differed from the self-reported survey responses describing typical grocery shopping and health behaviours submitted by the participants."

美國明尼蘇達大學的社區衛生司和流行病學的研究人員丹格雷厄姆和羅伯特杰弗裡說：“這項研究的結果表明，消費者對營養成分標籤注意力閾限(廣度)是有限的。

“雖然大多數消費者注視標籤，很少有消費者仔細察看標籤上的每一個組成部分。

“這些結果不同於描述受試者典型的雜貨店購物與健康行為自我報告的調查反應。”

We support the provision of clear, simple front of pack nutrition 

我們支持提供明確，簡單的營養外包裝標籤。

Food and Drink Federation

They also said the location of the labels on the packaging made a difference.

"Consumers are more likely to view centrally located labels and nutrients nearer the label's top.  

"Because knowing the amounts of key nutrients that foods contain can influence consumers to make healthier purchases, prominently positioning key nutrients, and labels themselves, could substantially impact on public health."

食物及飲品聯會

他們還表示，在外包裝上的標籤位置已作出了區別。

“消費者更傾向於查看位於中心和接近上方的營養標籤。

“因為知道食品中含有的主要營養素可以影響消費者做健康的採購，突顯主要營養成分和標籤本身，可以大大地影響公眾健康。”

A spokesman from the Food and Drink Federation said they were aware that consumers often do not read labels. 

"Any research that adds to our understanding of what would encourage consumers to use the information provided is welcomed.

"The transferability of this research to the UK shopping experience is unclear, as the study is based on computer simulation and uses information in a format that is quite different from what is found on packs in the UK."

But she said: "We support the provision of clear, simple front of pack nutrition labelling which the authors conclude would address the concerns raised by their research."

食品和飲料聯合會的發言人說，他們都知道，消費者往往不看標籤。

“任何能增加讓我們理解如何鼓勵消費者使用所提供的信息的研究都表示歡迎。

“基於此是計算機模擬的研究和在英國使用的外包裝標籤格式是完全不同的信息，這項研究是否能轉移至英國購物體驗是不明確的。”

但她說：“我們支持作者總結他們的研究中所提出的會標示提升關注點以提供明確，簡單的外包裝營養標籤。”