US women check, use food label components more often and thoroughly than men, according to recent study; both men and women ages 51-70 have significantly higher rates of checking, using labels than younger people

Nevin Barich

SANTA MONICA, California , May 28, 2013 (press release) – The May Issue of Food Nutrition & Science Reviews a Study that Reveals How Gender Race and Age Play a Role In Reading Food Labels; Also Information on FoodCorps for Children; Interviews with Wild Card Roasters and a Missouri Cattle Farmer; and more.

Women check and use food label components more often and thoroughly than men, according to a recent study from the University of Alabama and published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and featured in the May issue of Food Nutrition & Science.

The study, which looked at a sample of 573 males and 809 females aged 19 to 70 years, found that women use the Nutrition Facts label, health claims, ingredient lists and serving sizes more frequently than men when making decisions about food products.

However, both men and women who were 51 to 70 years of age had significantly higher rates of checking the labels and then using them – compared with younger participants in the study.

"This isn't a huge surprise," says Phil Lempert , founder of Food Nutrition & Science and CEO of The Lempert Report. "But this reinforces that manufacturers and retailers should make labels, advertising and merchandising clear, concise and easy to read so that people can make informed decisions."

The study also showed that race was a significant predictor of label use for men. Specifically, Hispanic men checked the labels more frequently than Caucasian men.

Other articles in this issue include information about FoodCorps, a national program that increases childrens' knowledge of food and nutrition and creates continuous opportunities for them to eat nutritious food in the school cafeteria while obtaining hands-on experience in school gardens and related classroom activities.

The May issue also features interviews with 33-year-old Cattle Farmer Leanne Cope, and with Renee Brown , vice president of Sales and Marketing for Wild Card Roasters, who discusses their corporate sustainability efforts.

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