• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.675-681
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to investigate perception of the Food Allergy Labeling System (FALS) of school foodservice in female middle school students. The subjects were 148 female middle school students in the Incheon metropolitan area. In this cross-sectional study, data were collected using self-administered questionnaires. Only 20.9% of subjects had experience of food allergy education. There was no significant difference in food allergy knowledge by grade. The scores of perception of food allergy labeling by school foodservice were significantly higher in lower grade students (p<0.001). In all grades, highest scores were observed for 'food allergy labeling is necessary', whereas the lowest scores were for 'I check the food allergy labeling'. The percentages of subjects who wanted to participate in food allergy education were significantly different (p<0.01); 73.8% in 1st grade, 50.0% in 2nd grade, and 35.7% in 3rd grade. For desired education contents to enhance perception of FALS, 57.5% of subjects answered 'emergency management' and 23.0% said 'information of food allergy causing food'. Therefore, it is necessary to increase food allergy education and educate female middle school students according to grade in order to enhance perception of FALS.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.202-207
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• 2019

The objective of this study was to analyze labeling improvements and evaluate willingness to pay for health functional foods with a focus on the caution for intake. For this study, we conducted a survey on health functional food intake behavior, confirmation and improvements of cautions for intake. We assessed the willingness to pay for improvement of the caution for intake. Consumers anticipate improved immune function, and fatigue improvement after consumption of health functional foods. They mainly checked the function components related to efficacy and effectiveness, ingredients and their contents, ingestion amount and method, expiry date and best mode of storage, product name, and cautions associated with ingestion of health functional foods. They has been difficulties in obtaining sufficient caution information for intake from the current labeling method. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the labeling of caution for intake. The analysis indicated that about 5.14% of the respondents were willing to pay more if new labeling was introduces. However, there is still controversy over their safety, which is damaging to the consumers. Therefore, by providing consumers with accurate and detailed information on cautions for intake, it can contribute to securing safety and improving the quality of health functional foods.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.206-213
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• 2007

This study investigated the prevalence of nutrition labeling and claims on processed and packaged foods. The final database consists of 1,287 foods, which were collected in two supermarkets in the Seoul area from September to November, 2006. An estimated 78% of KFDA-regulated processed, and packaged foods have nutrition labels. Nutrient content claims on food labels were identified in 21% of the foods which have nutrition labels. The prevalence of nutrition labels in this study is much higher than in previous studies due to the current expansion of the mandatory labeling regulation. However, false labeling and misleading contents claims were also identified. The food label is an important tool for enhancing the public's understanding of healthy choices of processed foods. Therefore, to maximize the benefits of the nutrition labeling regulation, industries, government agencies and health professionals should work together to help consumers make healthy dietary choices and improve their health.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.179-188
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• 2020

Objectives: The study examined the status on the use of nutrition labeling and nutrition claims among university students as well as the diet quality and nutritional status using the nutrition quotient (NQ) according to the use of nutrition labeling and claims. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on university students (86 males and 131 females) from March to April in 2019 in Chungbuk area. Results: The percentage of subjects who reported that they recognized nutrition labeling was 80.2% of the total, and 63.8% of them indicated that they used nutrition labeling for their food choices. In addition, 22.6% of the total subjects said that they used nutrition claims. The group of subjects using nutrition labeling showed significantly higher mean scores in balance (P < 0.01), diversity (P < 0.05), moderation (P < 0.01), and dietary behavior (P < 0.001) along with higher mean NQ score (P < 0.001) compared to the group not using nutrition labeling. The group using nutrition claims had significantly higher mean scores in balance (P < 0.001), diversity (P < 0.01), moderation (P < 0.001), and dietary behavior (P < 0.001) as well as total NQ scores (P < 0.001) compared to the group not using nutrition claims. The group of subjects using both nutrition labeling and nutrition claims showed significantly higher mean NQ scores than the group of subjects using either nutrition labeling or nutrition claims (P < 0.05). Conclusions: In this study, university students' use of nutrition labeling and nutrition claims appeared to be related to their diet quality and nutritional status.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.282-290
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• 2011

This study was performed to investigate the level and recognition and interest in nutrition labeling in restaurants according to consumer interest levels in health and to suggest its application to restaurant lunches. By considering various statistics and data on the frequency of reasons for dining-out, this study examined worker restaurant lunches and investigated the level of recognition of interest in nutrition labeling, the type of nutrition information that is of interest and the preferred format of labeling according to the level of interest in health. According to the results, while the frequency of dining-out by workers was high, their consideration for health and nutrition labeling in restaurants was low. However, a high percentage of consumers responded that nutrition labeling was a customer right and necessary to improve the quality of menu items as well as public health. Therefore, active promotion of nutrition labeling in the dining industry is necessary. Interest levels in additives, product origin and menu ingredients indicated in restaurant menus were higher than for nutritional information such as nutrients and calories. When the preferred format for providing nutrition information was investigated, consumers preferred information written on a menu board, and they wanted to broaden the range of information included in nutrition labeling for menu items beyond calories and nutritional facts. Based on these results, recognition of nutrition labeling in restaurants was found to below and the interest level in health was also lower than expected. However, most consumers responded that nutrition labeling was helpful in choosing menu items can be a tool for nutrition education and can play a role in improving the recognition of nutrition. Therefore, active promotion of nutrition labeling by the dining industry is necessary.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.123-137
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to investigate the current nutritional labeling practices in the processed foods industry. Package labels provide consumers with reliable nutritional information, which has been considered a useful aid for food selection and a potent educational tool for nutrition in a daily life. To assess the nutritional composition labeling and nutritional claims on the food package labels in the Korean market, 2,691 processed foods were purchased from a wholesale market in August, 2004, under the food categories specified in the 2004 Food Code. Nutritional composition labels were found on 674 out of the 2,691 processed foods items. The study findings were as follows. Milk and dairy products showed the highest percentage(56.6%) of nutritional composition labeling among the food categories, while 86.2% of processed foods carried inappropriate types of nutrition labels. The title of nutritional composition labeling was ordered according to the nutritional composition presented on the top part of the box. The regulations method which it indicates was 77.8%. The expression unit of the nutritional composition labeling was per 100g(32.8%) or per OOg (29.4%). Of total processed foods, 83(3.1%) offered nutritional claims in their labels. These claims were divided into two ways: nutrient content claims and nutrient comparative claims. The most frequently used term in nutrient content claims was "contained"(67.2%). "More" or "Plus" were frequently used term in nutrient comparative claims(11.2%). Calcium was the most popular among nutrients claimed by processed foods(34.3%).

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.92-98
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• 2015

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The prevalence of food allergies in Korean children aged 6 to 12 years increased from 10.9% in 1995 to 12.6% in 2012 according to nationwide population studies. Treatment for food allergies is avoidance of allergenic-related foods and epinephrine auto-injector (EPI) for accidental allergic reactions. This study compared knowledge and perception of food allergy labeling and dietary practices of students. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The study was conducted with the fourth to sixth grade students from an elementary school in Yongin. A total of 437 response rate (95%) questionnaires were collected and statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The prevalence of food allergy among respondents was 19.7%, and the most common food allergy-related symptoms were urticaria, followed by itching, vomiting and nausea. Food allergens, other than 12 statutory food allergens, included cheese, cucumber, kiwi, melon, clam, green tea, walnut, grape, apricot and pineapple. Children with and without food allergy experience had a similar level of knowledge on food allergies. Children with food allergy experience thought that food allergy-related labeling on school menus was not clear or informative. CONCLUSION: To understand food allergies and prevent allergic reactions to school foodservice among children, schools must provide more concrete and customized food allergy education.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.328-333
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• 2012

This study was performed to investigate the differences in food choice, nutrition labeling perceptions, and prevalence of obesity due to meal skipping in Korean elementary school children. A national survey was performed in 2010 to collect data on food intake frequency, understanding of nutrition labeling, and body mass index from 2,335 fifth grade students in 118 elementary schools selected from 16 metropolitan local governments by stratified cluster sampling. The data were analyzed using the SAS 9.1 and SUDAAN 10.0 packages. Students who consumed three meals for 6-7 days during the past week were classified into the regular meal eating (RM) group (n = 1,476) and those who did not were placed into the meal skipping (MS) group (n = 859). The daily intake frequency of fruits, vegetables, kimchi, and milk was significantly lower in the MS group compared to that in the RM group (P < 0.001), whereas the daily intake frequency of soft drinks and instant noodles (ramyeon) was significantly higher in the MS group than that in the RM group (P < 0.05). The MS group demonstrated a significantly lower degree of understanding with regard to nutrition labeling and high calorie foods containing low nutritional value than that in the RM group. The distribution of obesity based on the percentile criteria using the Korean growth chart was different between the MS and RM groups. The MS group (8.97%) had a higher percentage of obese subjects than that in the RM group (5.38%). In conclusion, meal skipping was related to poor food choice, low perception of nutrition labeling, and a high prevalence of obesity in Korean fifth grade children.

• Journal of Consumption Culture
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.67-90
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• 2012

When consumers choose healthy foods, they base their buying decisions on health-related food labeling and quality assessment of taste, health, and price. Moreover, both purchase experience and opinions of family and friends affect consumer choices. Focusing on these points, this study examined the effects of health-related food labeling on consumer choices by adding two variables-quality assessment of taste, health, and price and purchase experience-to the model of the theory of planned behavior. We also used structural equation modeling to test our hypotheses. In the study, health-related food labeling includes organic labeling, nutrient claims, and food additive labeling. We conducted a mail survey among 300 married women who buy cheese slices for their children more than once a month. It was discovered that health-related food labeling positively affected the level of quality assessment of taste, health, and price, and consequently led to positive attitudes and purchase intentions. Particularly, health-related food labeling positively influenced attitude toward using products without assessing the quality of taste, health, and price. The level of quality assessment of price positively affected attitude toward using and purchasing products, and purchase experience positively affected attitude toward using and purchasing products, and purchase intentions. The relationship between attitude to purchasing products and purchase intentions was the most positive, and the relationship between perceived behavioral control and purchase intentions was not significant. Overall, this study essentially contributes to the development of a theoretical framework of food labeling and consumer choices, which includes quality assessment of taste, health, and price and purchase experience, by using the theory of planned behavior.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.231-239
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• 2014

We studied customer recognition and understanding of menu labeling as well as the correlations between customer support for menu labeling and multiple factors, such as demographic characteristics, dinning-out behavior, and menu selection criteria. This study designed a survey and received responses from 351 individuals. The analysis results reveal that most respondents did not acknowledge menu labeling or lacked knowledge of it. Many of the respondents showed experience in ordering from menus with ingredient labels, but many showed no interest in menu labeling. Exactly 114 (32.5%) respondents showed support of menu labeling, and most were interested in levels of trans-fat, fat, and cholesterol. The respondents reported that menu labeling should be implemented more in fast-food restaurants and causal dinning restaurants. This study also analyzed how customer menu selection criteria are related to support level of menu labeling. Respondents were classified into three groups based on their support level for menu labeling (low medium high), after which correlations between customer menu selection criteria and support level were examined. Respondents in the high support group considered all menu selection criteria (i.e., ingredients, health, and consideration of calories). GLM analysis showed that monthly dining-out expenses were highly related to support level with a significance level of 0.05, and the interaction between monthly dining-out expenses and respondents' jobs also affected support level with a significance level of 0.01.