A literature review about the role of nutrition information in Research Paper

A literature review about the role of nutrition information in influencing consumer choice - Research Paper Example The pieces of information are inclusive of brand name, price and search attributes that are within a store. There is also set levels of importance given to the visual aids within the product as well as the factual information given. It has been found (Degeratu et al, 55: 2000), that the factual information, such as fat levels, nutritional levels and other measurements, are the most important determinant of what consumers decide to buy from a supermarket (Degeratu et al, 55: 2000). While the nutritional value that is available through information is known as the most important aspect for those buying food, there are also differences in the decision making process. The demographics and expectations from different sets of individuals determine what the most popular items are in supermarkets. For instance, young adults often consume snacks that don’t have the same levels of nutritional values. The decision to choose the snacks is based on the taste, satisfaction and trends that ar e a part of the snacks. It was found through a recent study (Cranage et al, 125: 2003), that there wasn’t a difference in nutritional value when choosing different snacks. Two snacks were given, one with higher nutritional value than the other. ... From these two studies, it can be seen that the nutritional information depicts choices between various types of groups. However, there is a difference in whether the responses are positive or negative as well as what influences consumers with the enjoyment of the food. Through another study (Edwards et al, 332: 2005), there was a question of how negative or positive information influenced those that were deciding to take specific types of nutritional foods. A group was assisted with the purchases that they made by being given information on the food. The information was specifically designed to cause a positive, negative or neutral statement about the food. After eating the food, the participants were given a survey to define the quality of food with nutritional value as well as taste and satisfaction. It was found that the negative information or beliefs about the food caused the participants to be influenced by the food chosen. However, if the food was chosen, despite the negative comments, it didn’t create a negative response after eating the food in satisfaction or the taste value associated with the food (Edwards, et al, 332: 2005). This particular study shows that the information before giving individuals a type of food can influence their decision to buy the food. However, it doesn’t influence the responses that are given after eating the food and making the determination necessary for their own understanding of quality. The attitudes and behaviors that are created from quality have some dependence on the nutritional information. However, there are also cultural and societal trends that begin to influence the choices of those that are buying different types of food