ID :
18038
Thu, 09/04/2008 - 14:04
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/18038
The shortlink copeid
M'SIAN CONSUMERS ACTIVELY SEEKING OUT INFORMATION ON FOOD LABELS
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 4 (Bernama) -- Malaysians scored higher than the average consumer in the region when it comes to actively seeking out information on food labels, with 27 per cent of consumers here having cultivated the habit, compared with 25 per cent in Asia Pacific, a survey showed.
The Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey conducted in 51 countries in
April also found that Malaysian consumers tend to pay more attention to food
labels in
specific situations, the top two most common instances being when thay are
buying a product for the first time (40 per cent) or when buying certain food
types (36 per cent).
Linda Lim, director of The Nielsen Company Malaysia, said in a statement
Thursday that the survey findings demonstrated the degree to which health and
diet had taken a pivotal role in Malaysian lifestyles.
"The need for clear and educational labeling has become one of the most
debated, controversial topics in recent years and the pressure is on for the
food industry to take greater responsibility for educating people about what
they are eating," she said.
The survey found that 13 per cent of Malaysians would check the nutritional
labels when they are on a diet or are trying to lose weight, and 12 per cent,
when buying the products for their children while only five per cent claim
that they never check food labels.
"In general, Malaysians appear to be savvier now when it comes to
understanding nutritional labels, compared with three years back. Close to third
of the respondents (33 per cent) claimed to understand most of the information,
while over three in five understood in part," said the statement.
Compared with the 2005 findings, there was a significant 11 per cent
increase to 33 per cent in the number of people who now appear to be able to
comprehend most of the information on nutritional labels, rather than only in
part.
The people who said they did not at all understand nutritional
labeling remained low at four percent.
The interest of Malaysians now is to check packaged food labels for fat (56
per cent), sugar (52 per cent) and preservatives (51 per cent), compared with
three years ago where preservatives, colouring and additives were the top three
most frequently checked, according to the statement.
-- BERNAMA
The Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey conducted in 51 countries in
April also found that Malaysian consumers tend to pay more attention to food
labels in
specific situations, the top two most common instances being when thay are
buying a product for the first time (40 per cent) or when buying certain food
types (36 per cent).
Linda Lim, director of The Nielsen Company Malaysia, said in a statement
Thursday that the survey findings demonstrated the degree to which health and
diet had taken a pivotal role in Malaysian lifestyles.
"The need for clear and educational labeling has become one of the most
debated, controversial topics in recent years and the pressure is on for the
food industry to take greater responsibility for educating people about what
they are eating," she said.
The survey found that 13 per cent of Malaysians would check the nutritional
labels when they are on a diet or are trying to lose weight, and 12 per cent,
when buying the products for their children while only five per cent claim
that they never check food labels.
"In general, Malaysians appear to be savvier now when it comes to
understanding nutritional labels, compared with three years back. Close to third
of the respondents (33 per cent) claimed to understand most of the information,
while over three in five understood in part," said the statement.
Compared with the 2005 findings, there was a significant 11 per cent
increase to 33 per cent in the number of people who now appear to be able to
comprehend most of the information on nutritional labels, rather than only in
part.
The people who said they did not at all understand nutritional
labeling remained low at four percent.
The interest of Malaysians now is to check packaged food labels for fat (56
per cent), sugar (52 per cent) and preservatives (51 per cent), compared with
three years ago where preservatives, colouring and additives were the top three
most frequently checked, according to the statement.
-- BERNAMA
