Food labelled Information: An Empirical Analysis of Consumer Preferences

Labelling can support consumers in making choices connected to their preferences in terms of qualitative features. Nevertheless, the space available on packaging is limited and some indications are not used by consumers. This paper aims at analysing which kinds of currently labelled information are of interest and actually used by consumers, and which additional kinds could improve consumer choices. Moreover, we investigate the attitude of consumers with respect to innovative strategies for the diffusion of product information, considering in particular the development of a smart label for mobile phones. The empirical analysis is organised in two phases: first, three focus groups have been carried out and, second, a survey on 240 consumers was conducted on the basis of an ad hoc questionnaire. The results showed that, among nutritional claims, those more important to consumers are vitamins, energy and fat content, whereas sodium received a low score. Moreover, consumers show a high interest in the origin of the products and GMOs. Among the types of information that are currently scarcely available on food products, the major interest was received by the environmental impact, animal welfare and type of breeding.