Purpose: This study aimed to assess the food label usage and understanding and factors affecting them among Lebanese supermarket shoppers.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 748 supermarket shoppers from several branches of the two biggest supermarkets in Lebanon between December 2013 and February 2014. A pre-coded structured questionnaire was used at points of purchase to assess the use and perceptions of food labels.
Results: 29.3% of the shoppers check the food labels every time they buy a food product and 15.7% never do it. Shoppers who do not read food labels identified the long time needed in reading them as top reason (34.9%), while 15.1% thought that there is no need to read food labels and 9.8% answered that they do not understand them. 58.5% of the surveyed shoppers read the food labels at the supermarkets, 20.6% at home and 20.9% at both supermarkets and home. 42.9% of participants agreed that reading food labels is very important, while 30.3% read the food labels depending on the purchased product. 10.2% accept to purchase expired items for some food categories. 19.4% of participants complained that food labels contain too much information and 13.8% claimed that food labels are difficult to understand. 60.3% think that food labels have helped people in changing their eating habits, while health and nutrition claims affected the product selection among 59.8% of participants. The food label knowledge score average was 63.2%. Older, obese shoppers having kids, suffering from chronic illness or allergies, and following a specific diet scored significantly (P < 0.05) higher.
Significance: There is a need to create awareness about the various components of food labels and to influence the beliefs of Lebanese shoppers about the link between health and the benefits of following the food labels.