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The aim of this study is to explore older adults' nutrition information needs. The paper seeks to describe the development and findings of a nutrition information needs assessment among older adults, with the application of principles of adult learning.

A telephone survey among 321 older adults who were between 60 and 80 years old in the Midwest was conducted. The study was guided by principles of adult learning, and by self‐efficacy, a key‐construct of social cognitive theory.

The majority reported to be white, with a mean age of 69 years. In total, 95 percent rated their knowledge about nutrition, and their interest in healthy eating as excellent/very good/ or good. Preferred nutrition information sources were health professionals, sources they have at home, nutrition classes, flyers/brochures/health newsletters, and public libraries. The majority was interested in information about eating healthfully, heart healthy diets, and strategies for healthy eating. The majority stated they think about taste and feeling better when they choose their food, and fewer participants stated they think about cost, convenience, losing weight, and better appearance. Major motivations to eat healthier were maintaining their health status, preventing disease and disability, as well as personal fitness.

This research is an example of how using adult learning principles in combination with behavior change theories may be helpful in the assessment of nutrition information needs among older adults, and the design of nutrition information interventions in the future.

Nutrition labelling of food products has received considerable attention in the marketing literature due to increasing consumer interest in health and diet issues. Nutrition labelling of food products is intended to enable informed consumer choices and stimulate the consumption and production of healthful products. Reviews nutrition labelling research, organises the literature, and discusses implications for policy makers, managers and researchers. Analysis of the literature suggests heterogeneous utilisation and comprehension of on‐pack nutrition information by consumers. The effectiveness of nutrition labelling depends also on the organisation and presentation of the information, implying the importance of regulatory issues. The topic is rich in public and marketing policy implications and provides several opportunities for further research.

Nutrition labels are seen as offering the potential to educate consumers about healthy eating and to encourage and enable them to make healthy food choices. This study used verbal protocol analysis, a method new to food choice research, to examine which parts of the nutrition label are currently used by consumers when shopping “normally” and for “healthy” foods. The implications of the findings for nutrition educators are discussed.

To survey consumers living in Paris, France, to determine the extent to which they use nutrition labels, and to determine the percentage of French consumers who use nutrition labels, how often they use nutrition labels, and how they would like to see current nutrition labels improved. The researchers also wanted to determine the reasons why consumers do not use nutrition labels, and to try and assess users' and non‐users' perceptions about mandatory nutrition labelling.

French consumers (n  =  355) were surveyed in supermarkets in Paris and its suburbs, using a 21‐item questionnaire in May 2004. Interviewers used questionnaires to assess the frequency of respondents' nutrition label use, to investigate the specific nutrient information most commonly consulted on nutrition labels, the types of products on which consumers most often tend to consult nutrition labels, and to collect demographic information.

Only 45.1 per cent of the sample reported reading nutrition labels, with the majority of consumers reading labels only occasionally. Non‐label readers cited lack of interest as the primary reason why they do not read labels, but 95 per cent of the sample, when asked about mandatory nutrition labeling, felt that nutrition labeling should be required of food manufacturers. Research limitations/implications The sample size was small, participation was voluntary and was limited to the city of Paris and its suburbs, and therefore cannot be generalized to the French population.

This is the first study to collect data in a point‐of‐purchase setting in order to examine whether or not French consumers use nutrition labels.

Previous studies have shown high levels of self‐reported nutrition label use, yet when tested consumers have difficulty in using label information effectively. Using verbal protocol analysis, this study explored nutrition label use directly, identifying the tasks consumers actually undertake, and how these are used to inform choice. The implications of the findings for labelling policy and nutrition education are discussed.

This study aims to investigate how restaurant customers’ heuristic judgment, originating from their perceived level of congruity between restaurant brand image regarding healthfulness and healthy menu products, can affect their information processing in terms of their perceived nutritional information credibility and, furthermore, how these effects influence customers’ attitude toward the menu in terms of healthiness.

A Web-based survey was developed and distributed to randomly selected respondents in the USA, and in total, 320 responses were used for the data analyses. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the relationship among three constructs: perceived brand–product congruity, perceived nutritional information credibility and nutrition attitude toward the healthy menu item being promoted. To assess the mediating role of perceived information credibility, an analytical procedure proposed by (Baron and Kenny 1986) was used. Finally, to investigate the moderating effect of the health involvement, multiple group analyses were executed.

The study results suggested that the synchronization between healthful brand image of the restaurant and the promoted menu item is important for ensuring customers’ perceptions of information credibility regarding the menu item healthiness and for eliciting customers’ positive nutrition attitudes toward the menu item. Also, positive nutrition attitudes toward a menu item can be increased by improving perceived information credibility. Depending on an individual’s level of health involvement, the relationships between the three proposed constructs vary.

This paper includes a theoretical model that explains customers’ heuristic evaluation of a healthy menu product by assessing the influence of brand image congruity in terms of healthy menu promotion.

The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a study using photoelicitation interviews to investigate the relationship between the habitualised and unconscious aspects of consumers' food choices, the front‐of‐pack nutrition labelling schemes on food products and the healthiness of their diets.

To this end, photographs of ten German middle‐class families at different stages of the family lifecycle were taken at the point of purchase (during a shopping trip made by the main person responsible for meal planning) and at the point of consumption (during a family meal at home). The paper used selected photographs as stimuli for photoelicitation. The interviews were recorded and analysed using a holistic approach.

Four themes concerning food characteristics, participants' food choices and their healthiness emerged from the data: perceived time pressure at the point of purchase; the relevance of nutrition information for making inferences with regard to the healthiness and tastiness of products; consumers' trust in nutrition information; and their use of this information at the point of purchase or point of consumption.

Photoelicitation interviews allowed us to bridge the gap between researchers and respondents and to study what happens in real‐life situations when consumers go shopping and prepare family meals.

By putting nutrition information on food packaging, especially on the front of the pack, manufacturers and retailers enable consumers to make faster and healthier decisions at the point of purchase – i.e. as long as the consumers notice, understand, trust and like the labelling and use it in making their final decision. Front‐of‐pack labels are of less relevance at the point of consumption.

The paper provides a number of insights into the processes involved in making healthy (or unhealthy) food decisions. It also provides directions for future studies in visual research and in the fields of consumer behaviour, marketing and public policy.

The purpose of this study is to examine the potential of the internet to address nutrition topics.

From a survey posted on the Dietitians of Canada Website, 870 questionnaires were retained. Subjects indicated how frequently they used different sources to obtain information on healthy eating and what level of confidence they had in these sources. They also identified nutrition topics which were of the most interest to them.

Internet was reported to be often used as a source of nutrition information by 40 per cent of respondents, from time to time by 47 per cent of respondents and rarely or never by 14 per cent of them. In terms of credibility, 34 per cent of respondents reported being very confident in internet as a source of nutrition information, 62 per cent being slightly confident and 4 per cent being not confident at all. Findings were obtained between nutrition topics, frequency of use of the Web as a source of information and the level of confidence in the internet.

Future research on differences in terms of how populations from different countries search for and assess the credibility of nutrition information on the Web is required.

Among the possible ways of informing consumers on food and nutrition issues properly and in time, the Web technologies represent an interesting avenue. However, our findings suggest that specific nutrition topics dictate different strategies if internet can be used as a source of information.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the acceptability and effectiveness of visual displays of nutrition educational information for low‐income Hispanic adults in the USA and to determine whether this population have different perceptions of the same nutrition education displays or express different needs than low‐income Caucasian adults. Visual displays include information on calcium, folic acid, and fruits and vegetables.

Six 90‐minute focus groups are conducted with 47 Spanish‐speaking Hispanic adults living in the USA for less than one year.

The results indicate that displays of nutrition information are an effective means to present information to low‐income Hispanics and to teach basic nutritional concepts. Participants are excited about receiving the information and using it for their families' benefit. Positive key characteristics of the displays are: pictures, bright colours, simplicity, text's characteristics, information relevance, and accompanying handouts.

The results show that displays of nutrition information such as the ones included in the study are effective means to present such information to low‐income Hispanics participating in food assistance programs. Although several changes are needed to make the displays more effective, the general format is well received, and participants' interest is stimulated enough that they request more information on nutrition. Participants want usable nutrition information and see it as a means to improve the health of their families.

These data suggest a need for interventions with respect to information about nutrition, particularly in low‐income demographics where knowledge may be minimal, and the need for effective use of available food resources is quite high.

Increasing consumer interest in nutrition has led to an increased interest in nutrition labelling. Finds that over half (58 per cent) of the sample surveyed read nutrition labels. Nutrition labelling was found to have an impact on consumer purchase decisions. Of those consumers who read nutritional labels, 81 per cent use them in their evaluation of food products. Consumers have to deduce information from nutrition labels in their current format. Survey findings reinforce previous work carried out in this area, particularly in the context of consumer categorization of food products as “good” or “bad”. For example, consumer avoidance of “negative” nutrients is apparent throughout the survey. The majority of respondents, who read labels, indicated that they search out information on nutrients they wish to avoid. In general, since time allocated to shopping for food products is limited, the format of nutritional labelling needs further consideration and improvement. The concept of nutrition should be incorporated into food companies’ marketing strategy.