Organic Processing Vo1.5 #2

Market
Label Reading from a Consumer Perspective
By Laurie Demeritt

Over the years, the myriad of words and symbols printed on food and beverage product packaging has grown in complexity and diversity. Today, consumer packaged goods resemble NASCAR racers with a dizzying array of words, symbols and seals adorning the front, sides and back of the product’s label. From nutrition facts, to country of origin and product narratives, packaged goods are becoming crowded sources that educate, inform and even entertain.

Yet, despite the rise of symbols and certifications—spanning the gamut from “tooth friendly” to “free range”—The Hartman Group’s “Pulse Report: Label Reading from a Consumer Perspective” finds that label readership is on the rise. The study found that 28 percent of Americans are reading labels much more frequently today than a year ago. Another 31 percent of consumers are reading labels slightly more often, underscoring the fact that the majority of consumers take label reading seriously.

But, do the intricacies of today’s product labels intimidate consumers? What factors influence consumers to read labels more or less than in the past? How are elements on a label—from nutrition fact panels to recycling symbols—currently used and accepted amid growing interests in product ingredients, food safety and certifications of ethical, health or green production?

This study found that, much like consumers we examined in previous wellness

lifestyle research, today’s consumers examine labels according to their personal lifestyle priorities. This is due, in part, to the cultural equations consumers are drawing between nutrition and personal health. Now we see large groups of consumers adding “label reading” as part of health and wellness lifestyles. In the area of food and beverages, across consumer segments, label reading appears to be a strong habit that is increasing in intensity.

Elements of Lifestyle That Lead to Label
Scrutiny

Today, there are a number of driving forces that trigger consumers to “interrogate” the packages they purchase. Interestingly, while consumers are apt to say they check labels at the shelf in stores, research shows that many of the influences to purchase a product—and read a label—are controlled by events and forces occurring in the home as opposed to in the store.

In the case of label reading, when we consider what tips the everyday, casual glance at packaging labels into the region of “careful” analysis, we must take into account a broad range of influences including the effects of the media, consumer stage of life, household