Answer:
The world is shifting its course as concerns regarding health have become apparent. Nutrition labels are considered to be an important tool in informing consumers about the nutrition information of food products. Most studies on nutrition labels have focused on consumers’ attention, reported use, and understanding. Moreover, scholars have tried to propose new labelling formats that can help consumers understand nutrition information better. In the Philippines, research in this area is still very limited. Thus, this study tried to contribute findings regarding meal planners’ use and understanding of nutrient declarations on Lucky Me! instant noodles. Furthermore, this study tried to determine if purchasing decisions are influenced by use and understanding. Results showed that meal planners are positive towards the use and understanding of nutrient declarations. Meal planners believe that nutrient declarations help them in assessing healthiness of products. However, their reported use and subjective understanding showed no significance in making healthier food decisions. Even if meal planners said that they use and understand nutrient declarations, they still did not necessarily make healthier food choices. However, objective understanding showed significance. Meal planners who chose the healthier product have significantly higher objective understanding than those who chose the less healthy product. This finding suggests that increasing efforts in making people objectively understand nutrient declarations is necessary. Moreover, the public should be knowledgeable about nutrition and health to make healthier food decisions. This could be done through seminars, workshops, and social media involvement.
