Consumers’ Use and Understanding of Food Label Information and Effect on their Purchasing Decision in Ghana; A Case Study of Kumasi Metropolis

This study explored consumers use and understanding of foodlabel information and the effect on their purchasing decision inthe Kumasi Metropolis. It also investigated the associationbetween socio-demographic factors and the use of food label,the understanding of the information read as well as the type ofinformation sought. The study surveyed 250 consumers whowere conveniently selected from five different sub-metros inthe metropolis. Questionnaires were formulated to sample dataand information from consumers on their use andunderstanding of Food Label Information. Results suggestedthat the sample was gender sensitive (57.6% male) with amodal aged group between 15-30 years (60.8%) who had neverbeen married (54.0%), with a greater number who had tertiaryeducation (36.4%) and earning low income between GH￠50-499 (61.6%). About 79.6% (n=199) of the respondents,recounted accessing food label information before purchaseand they read the information occasionally (29.6%) duringinitial purchase (37.2%). Majority of the respondent saidadvertisement (31.6%) and price (31.2%) other than food label(10.0%) were the central stimuli to purchase a canned foodproduct. Highly-educated, male consumers2 ( 17.602,df , p 0.007, ) were those more likely to use varioustypes of food label information than others. A positiverelationship was observed between male, youthful (31-45)consumers and consumer who were never been married andtheir use and understanding of food label information.