Nutrition Labeling of Meat and Poultry Products: Consumers' Opinions (Final Report)

Excerpts: The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is responsible for inspecting all meat and poultry products shipped in interstate commerce and assuring consumers that meat and poultry products are wholesome, not adulterated, and are properly marked, labeled, and packaged. To develop and implement nutrition labeling regulations, FSIS needs a better understanding of consumers' use of nutrition labels on meat and poultry products. This report summarizes the principal methodology and findings of a study conducted by Research Triangle Institute (RTI). The objective of the study was to obtain information on consumer attitudes, viewpoints, and perceptions of nutrition information on food products and to assess the implications for potential nutrition information policies. The following six questions represent the main topical areas: 1. What is the relative importance of nutrition content and information? 2. How frequently do consumers look at nutrition labels while grocery shopping? 3. Why do consumers read nutrition labels? 4. What inferences do consumers draw from the presence or absence of labels? 5. How do consumers feel about nutrition information being provided at different stages of preparation? 6. Do consumers use/understand uniform descriptors?