Consumer knowledge and attitudes toward nutritional labels.

Objective: To determine Mauritian consumers' attitudes toward nutritional labels based on the Kano model and to identify determinants of the use and understanding of nutrition labels.

Design: The researchers also used a Kano model questionnaire to determine consumers' attitudes toward nutrition labeling.

Setting: Four hundred consumers residing in Mauritius.

Participants: Information was elicited via a questionnaire that assessed nutritional knowledge and information about the use and understanding of nutritional labels and demographic factors.

Main Outcome Measures: Nutritional label use and understanding, nutrition knowledge, and association of demographic factors with label use.

Analysis: Statistical tests performed included 1-way ANOVA and independent samples t tests.

Results: Statistically significant relationships (P < .05) were found for nutritional knowledge and nutritional label usage with demographic factors. All demographic factors with the exception of gender were significantly associated (P < .05) with nutritional label understanding. Based on the outcome of the Kano survey, calorie content, trans fat content, protein content, and cholesterol content were found to be must-be attributes: that is, attributes that, when not present, result in consumer dissatisfaction.

Conclusions And Implications: Age, education, income, household size, and nutrition knowledge had an impact on nutritional label use. Health promoters should aim to increase the use of nutritional labels.