84% of consumers will review the ingredients or nutritional information on food packaging before they purchase it. Recent research on behalf of Retail Intelligence by Empathy Research, amongst a nationally representative sample of 1,000 adults aged 18+, sought to identify how much attention consumers pay to this information and what they are looking for when they are reviewing food products.
Those in the 25-34 age group are most likely to review product information before purchasing (89%), while those in the 65+ age group are least likely to review this nutritional information, with nearly a quarter of them (22%) claiming to never do this.
Amongst those who review this nutritional information, nearly two thirds (63%) are looking for information on the percentage of sugar included in the product, with just over half (54%) looking to identify the percentage of fat included in the product. Some 4 in 10 (41%) will look for the calorie information, with almost 3 in 10 (29%) looking for the number of ingredients in the item itself. This review of the number of ingredients in the food product itself is more prevalent amongst those aged under 34, with 34% claiming to search for this type of information.
While there are high levels of product scrutiny in evidence, there is work to do for brands to convince consumers of these claims. Interestingly, 80% of consumers claim they would pay attention to the claims brands make on their food products. However, just 29% of consumers claim to believe it when brands make claims in relation to added nutrients or having additional benefits.
For further information and more in-depth analysis on consumer’s behaviour in relation to reviewing the food they purchase, the key aspects they are looking for when purchasing food and which food claims are most motivating please contact Robbie Clarke at Empathy Research. r[email protected]
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