Health for Body Mind and Soul

We are all aware of seeing and reading nutrition facts on the pre-packaged foods we buy. A few studies have examined the effectiveness of listing the nutrition information on packages.

One study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior examined relationship between socioeconomic class and the use of food labels. This study consisted of 390 adults who were responsible for making food purchase decisions.

Participants in this study self reported their use of nutrition information from packages. Over half of the respondents (53%) stated they consistently used nutrition labels in making food choices. Those who used the nutrition information said they did so to maintain a healthy body weight.  In addition, females and individuals who were married were more likely to utilize the nutrition panel information.

View study information here.

Overall individual health may also impact how much people pay attention to nutrition labels on food. A study by the Department of Human Ecology, Montclair State University determined diabetics were more likely than the average population to pay attention to nutrition labels. This study also determined that individuals who received their nutrition information from their doctor were more knowledgeable about nutrition than those who received their information from other sources.

Read more about the original study.

It is clear to see the importance of providing accurate nutrition labels on food and providing nutrition education to the general public. Combining these two items should lead to better health choices for the general public and less chronic disease due to poor food choices. Some of these chronic diseases include obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.

While nutrition fact labels on food products can contribute to healthier food choices, the consumer needs to be aware of certain under-handed practices that many food producers participate in. These practices mislead the consumer into believing that certain ingredients are not present in some food purchases. Food manufacturers take advantage of loop-holes in certain policies regarding additives which exempt the listing of ingredients that are two per cent are less of the product. Other ingredients fall in the “natural flavors” category, and therefore give no clear indication of what they contain.

For information on understanding how to read labels click here