In order to investigate the recognition and utilization of food and nutrition labeling system in adolescents, 277(male 125, female 152) middle school students including all grades were conveniently selected from the west Chonan city and were surveryed...
In order to investigate the recognition and utilization of food and nutrition labeling system in adolescents, 277(male 125, female 152) middle school students including all grades were conveniently selected from the west Chonan city and were surveryed by self-recording questionnaire. Subjects' parents were also survered by the similar questionnaire. At the same time food and nutrition labelings of 222 kinds of subjects' favorite processed foods were collected from stores around schools.
Food labels of all 222 processed foods were well indicated in most items, but food additives(35.6%) and the origin of major food materials(27.0) were not well labeled. In particular, nutrients constitution was labeled only in 14.9% of the foods.
The purchase frequency of snacks by students own or by their family was once to third times a week(30.7%) or once a day (27.8%). The foremost consideration for purchasing foods was taste, price, quantity, and nutrition in order. Proper recognition score about processed foods was 55 out of a full score of 100 in students and 69 in parents. The scores of students were positively correlated with those of their parents.
The rate of checking food labels was of great difference between students(51.3%) and their parents(89.9%). Its purpose, in the case of students, was to know expiration data(93.7%), price(70.4%), and direction to teat(46.5%) in order. Parents, on the other hand, had a priority for the expiration data(95.6%) and checking additives(59.0%) and were hightly interested in manufacturer, direction to eat, nutrition, and comparison with other products(41.4~45.8%). Similarly, the most three important items in food labels were expiration date, price, and quantity to students but to parents were expiration date, manufacturer, and ingredients. The most frequently confirmed items were milk/dairy products, breads, and crackers among students, but among parents were milk/dairy products, breads, and frozen foods/juices.
The experiences of confirming nutrition labels was 79.4% among students and 89.2% among parents, and its aim was for the recognition of included nutrients(76.8%) and health care(72.1%). The significant reasons not to confirm nutrition and food labels were due to their small size and complication: students(21.1%) and parents(30.3%). The three nutrients of great importance out of nutrition label were minerals, protein, and carbohydrate among students, but among parents were protein, minerals, and calories. Cholesterol, dietary fibers, and sodium were taken as little important nutrients to both students and parents.
Conclusively, the students were not well aware of processed foods and only a half of them checked food labels at food purchasing. But nearly 80% of the students used nutrition labels, while nutrition labeling rate of their favorite foods was very low. Although proper recognition score about processed foods was positively correlated between students and their parents, the recognition and utilization of food and nutrition labelings were different between two groups. Therefore, nutrition labelings should be applied to all processed foods and in particular, it is necessary for adolescents to be provided with nutrition education about accurate recognition of processed foods and how to use food and nutrition labels.