Healthy Skepticism Library item: 13291

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

Fuan L, Miniard PW, Barone MJ.
The Facilitating Influence of Consumer Knowledge on the Effectiveness of Daily Value Reference Information
Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 2000 Jul; 28:(3):425-35
http://jam.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/28/3/425

Abstract:

As a means of enhancing consumer understanding of nutritional information, the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 requires the provision of percentage daily values (%DVs) on food labels. Findings from existing research, however, vary in their support for the assumption that including %DVs will assist consumers in their efforts to comprehend nutritional information. To shed further light on this issue, the present study examines the moderating role of consumer knowledge about how to use %DVs in evaluating a product’s healthiness. The results indicate that the usefulness of providing %DVs on a nutritional label depends strongly on this form of knowledge. Implications for public policy and directions for future research efforts are presented.

Keywords:
*CONSUMER behavior *CONSUMERS *COMMERCIAL products *FOOD -- Labeling *MANUFACTURES *FOOD industry & trade *PUBLIC administration *FOOD -- Packaging *INFORMATION services