{"id":1860,"date":"2016-07-01T04:59:22","date_gmt":"2016-07-01T04:59:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/?p=1860"},"modified":"2016-07-01T04:59:22","modified_gmt":"2016-07-01T04:59:22","slug":"consumers-read-food-labels-but-dont-always-understand-or-trust-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/consumers-read-food-labels-but-dont-always-understand-or-trust-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Consumers read food labels, but don’t always understand or trust them"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the approval in the US by the US Senate of a mandatory system for labeling genetically modified foods,\u00a0a new consumer survey from Coast Packing Company<\/a> and Ipsos Research finds that only half of people\u00a0say they understand the content of food labels – and less than a third believe them.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Food<\/a><\/p>\n

The survey of 1,000 adults, conducted in late May, examined both awareness and behavior around food labeling, querying consumers about what they read, understand and believe \u2013 and how they act, based on that information.<\/p>\n

The Coast\/Ipsos research revealed pronounced gender and generational divides in how we respond to data conveyed on food labels. When it comes to posted ingredients, less is more both for women and millennials: 40 percent of women agreed that “a food label with fewer ingredients has a positive effect on my purchasing decision,” vs. 25 percent of men, and 33 percent of those in the 18-34 age bracket endorsed that view.<\/p>\n

Millennials are avid readers of food labels (68 percent vs. 62 percent overall), and more than half say they understand food label content (54 percent to 50 percent overall).\u00a0 Fully 35 percent of millennials believe the content of food labels, highest of any age group.<\/p>\n

Among the study’s other topline findings:<\/p>\n