In this study, 294 housewives in Siheung, Gyeonggi-do, were surveyed to evaluate the differences in the recognition and use of nutrition labeling according to age and to present data for nutrition education. The younger the age, the more aware the consumer was of the information on the nutrition label. Housewives who were younger than 60 years were more likely to check the nutrition labels. The lower the age, the higher the reliance on the nutritional labeling content of the food, and the higher the recognition level of nutritional labeling. It was found that the lower the age, the easier it was for the consumer to understand the nutritional labeling. Among housewives in their 30s and younger, 89.5 percent said they believed checking nutrition labels would help their health. In the younger age group knowledge and information on nutrition labeling was acquired from the internet, and in the older age group, knowledge was acquired from television, radio, and newspapers. Research conducted on housewives in other regions in the future could provide more detailed information suitable for the population of each region. This would serve as data for nutrition education on the recognition and use of nutrition labeling for a healthy diet.

This study monitored the caffeine content of ready-to-drink coffee and verified the appropriateness of the labeling. The caffeine content was analyzed using HPLC. The average caffeine content of cold brew coffee was 0.31-1.04 mg/mL, with an average of 0.55 mg/mL. The average content of product was 147.27 mg/bottle, and taking into account the recommended daily intake, an adult can consume 2.7 bottles. Americano coffee was 0.15- 0.38 mg/mL, with an average of 0.28 mg/mL. The average content of product was 110.42 mg/bottle, and considering the recommended daily intake, an adult can consume 3.6 bottles. The caffeine content of decaffeinated cold brew coffee was 5.14 mg/bottle and compared to Americano coffee, more than 95% of the caffeine was removed. In addition, we verified the tolerance level of the total caffeine content in ready-to-drink coffee, and none of them exceeded 120%, signifying that all commercial products were effectively managed.

This study investigated species identification and labeling compliance of 48 shrimp products sold in the Korean online markets. Species identification was conducted using the standard DNA barcoding method, using the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene. The obtained sequences were compared with those deposited in the NCBI GenBank and BOLD Systems databases. Additionally, phylogenetic analysis was performed to further verify the identified shrimp species. Consequently, 16 shrimp species were identified, including Penaeus vannamei, Pandalus borealis, Palaemon gravieri, Leptochela gracilis, Penaeus monodon, Pleoticus muelleri, Metapenaeopsis dalei, Euphausia pacifica, Lebbeus groenlandicus, Trachypenaeus curvirostris, Argis lar, Metanephrops thomsoni, Metapenaeopsis barbata, Alpheus japonicus, Penaeus chinensis, and Mierspenaeopsis hardwickii. The most prevalent species was Penaeus vannamei, found in 45.8% of the analyzed products. A significant mislabeling rate of 72.9% was found; however, upon excluding generic names such as shrimp, the mislabeling rate reduced to 10.4%. The mislabeling rate was higher in highly-processed products (89.3%) compared with that in minimally-processed products (50%). No correlation was found between the country of origin and mislabeling rate. The results of this study provide crucial data for future monitoring of shrimp products and improving the labeling of shrimp species in Korea.

In this study, based on an analysis of two DNA barcode markers (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and cytochrome b genes), we performed species identification and monitored labeling compliance for 50 commercial pufferfish products sold in on-line markets in Korea. Using these barcode sequences as a query for species identification and phylogenetic analysis, we screened the GenBank database. A total of seven pufferfish species (Takifugu chinensis, T. pseudommus, T. xanthopterus, T. alboplumbeus, T. porphyreus, T. vermicularis, and Lagocephalus cheesemanii) were identified and we detected 35 products (70%) that were non-compliant with the corresponding label information. Moreover, the labels on 12 commercial products contained only the general common name (i.e., pufferfish), although not the scientific or Korean names for the 21 edible pufferfish species. Furthermore, the proportion of mislabeled highly processed products (n = 9, 81.8%) was higher than that of simply processed products (n = 26, 66.7%). With respect to the country of origin, the percentage of mislabeled Chinese products (n = 8, 80%) was higher than that of Korean products (n = 26, 66.7%). In addition, the market and dialect names of different pufferfish species were labeled only as Jolbok or Milbok, whereas two non-edible pufferfish species (T. vermicularis and T. pseudommus) were used in six commercial pufferfish products described as JolboK and Gumbok on their labels, which could be attributable to the complex classification system used for pufferfish. These monitoring results highlight the necessity to develop genetic methods that can be used to identify the 21 edible pufferfish species, as well as the need for regulatory monitoring of commercial pufferfish products.

This study was performed to investigate the quality characteristics and antioxidant activity of black soybean Sunsik product with functional food ingredients and functional labeling system. We prepared black soybean Sunsik (BS) containing black beans, cereals, and vegetables. Black soybean Sunsik with nondigestible maltodextrin and calcium lactate (BSN) was prepared by adding non-digestible maltodextrin and calcium lactate to the base recipe to apply a functional labeling system. The particle size in BS was 118.00 μm, whereas BSN was 127.00 μm. The respective L, a, and b color values of BS were 73.25, 2.36, and 14.21. The respective L, a, and b values of BSN were 73.21, 2.36, and 14.31. The respective water retention capacities of BS and BSN were 241.67% and 216.33%. No significant difference was observed between BS and BSN in the three physicochemical properties described above. However, the pH of BSN was 5.45, which was significantly lower than that of BS. The total respective phenolic contents of BS and BSN were 1.75 mg GAE/g and 1.61 mg GAE/g, and total respective flavonoid contents of BS and BSN were 6.36 mg RE/g and 5.95 mg RE/g. The antioxidant capacities of BS and BSN were compared via assays of DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging activities, FRAP, and reducing power. The antioxidant activities of BS and BSN increased in a dose-dependant manner. No significant difference between BS and BSN was observed in any measure of antioxidant capacity. These results suggested that the addition of functional food ingredients (non-digestible maltodextrin and calcium lactate) did not affect the quality characteristics and antioxidant activity of black soybean Sunsik.

This study investigated the recognition and utilization status of food labeling and nutrition labeling, according to the body type recognition of university students. In a total of 351 subjects, the male subjects comprised of 25.8% belonging to the underweight awareness group, 46.3% normal weight awareness group, and 27.9% overweight awareness students. Among the female students, 29.2% belonged to the underweight awareness group, 36.6% were normal body weight, and 34.2% were the overweight group. When purchasing processed foods, the price (4.05 points), expiration date (4.03 points), and gross weight (3.88 points) were the most considered factors of the food labeling content (5 points) for all body shape recognition groups. The food labeling of canned foods was checked most by the underweight awareness group (p<0.05). For bread and snacks, the contents of food labeling were confirmed most by the normal weight awareness group and the overweight awareness group (p<0.001). For beverages, the normal weight awareness group checked more food labels (p<0.01). The underweight awareness group (55.2%) hardly checked the nutritional labeling, and 22.9% of these subjects did not check at all. Our results may provide the necessity to improve the incorrect eating habits of students, by evaluating differences between the cognitive body type and the actual body type by BMI.

Product labels are one way for advertisers to provide information to purchasers on product quality (Atkinson & Rosenthal, 2014). Label policies have been issued to promote information disclosure on food products in some developed countries. Recent years have also seen increasing attempts to promote healthy eating in emerging markets. In China, nutrition labels became mandatory under the nutrition labeling acts. The laws require nutrition information to be presented at the point of purchase as well as in establishments where food is prepared or consumed. Additionally, similar actions were taken by India (India Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 2011), Mercosur members and in South Africa (Brazilian Ministry of Health, 2012; Institute of Food Technologists [IFT], 2011).

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.

The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a nutrition education program that was designed to increase the knowledge, attitudes, and skills of Korean adults regarding nutrition labeling. The education program was 45 minutes of short-term training, which was conducted in the form of lectures and exercises. The contents of the program were as follows: in the introduction stage, talking about status and reasons for checking nutrition labels; in the development stage, explanation of nutrition labeling and their content, reading, and identifying sample nutrition labels, as well as comparing nutrition labels and selecting better foods; in the closing stage, summary of nutrition labeling and a pledge to check nutrition labels when purchasing processed food. A total of 53 adults (88.5% female) aged 30 years and over participated in this study. The nutrition labeling awareness of the subjects was increased significantly from 55.8 to 96.2% after the education. After the education, the correct recognition rate of a nutrition label was increased significantly from 26.9 to 78.8% for the amount of food, from 25.0 to 73.1% for the calorie content, from 36.5 to 69.2% for the nutrient contents, and from 30.8 to 82.7% for the percent daily value. The self-efficacy of checking nutrition labels was also increased significantly compared to that before the education. The overall satisfaction score of the nutrition education program was 4.2 out of 5. The outcome showed that the nutrition education program of nutrition labeling improved the participants’ awareness and self-efficacy towards checking nutrition labels.

Product labels are one way for advertisers to provide information to purchasers on product quality (Atkinson & Rosenthal, 2014). Label policies have been issued to promote information disclosure on food products in some developed countries. Recent years have also seen increasing attempts to promote healthy eating in emerging markets. In China, nutrition labels became mandatory under the nutrition labeling acts. The laws require nutrition information to be presented at the point of purchase as well as in establishments where food is prepared or consumed. Additionally, similar actions were taken by India (India Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 2011), Mercosur members and in South Africa (Brazilian Ministry of Health, 2012; Institute of Food Technologists [IFT], 2011). While nutritional labeling has received a lot of attention both in academia and from the press, some key gaps remain in the nutrition labeling literature. First, a great deal of marketing research has focused on consumer responses (e.g., Balasubramanian & Cole, 2002; Hieke & Taylor, 2012; Ippolito & Mathios, 1995; Parker & Lehmann, 2014; Shah, Bettman, Ubel, Keller, & Edell, 2014) and firm responses (e.g., Moorman 1998; Moorman, Du, & Mela, 2005; Moorman, Ferraro, & Huber, 2012) to nutrition labeling laws. Although stock market investors express greater interest in information about nutrition issues that can be integrated into financial analyses (Global Access to Nutrition Index [ATNI] Investor Statement, 2013), the issue of how standardized information requirements affect investors’ responses in financial markets has been understudied. As used here, standardized product-information disclosure refers to a requirement to present facts about firms’ offerings in a common format using uniform metrics (Moorman et al. 2012). Understanding the extent to which investors consider product information-disclosure polices when they make investment decisions is important because a company’s financial health is not only the ultimate measure for the success or failure of any strategic initiative (Luo & Bhattacharya, 2009), but also one of the most important measures of public policy effectiveness (Joshi & Hanssens, 2010; Srinivasan & Hanssens, 2009; Schwert, 1981). Moreover, urgent concerns have spilled over from the product market to the financial market (Chen, Ganesan, & Liu, 2009) due to the enormous economic costs and damage to firms’ reputations in product-harm crises (e. g., melamine contamination in several Chinese brands of infant milk powder) (Ngo, 2014). Another gap in the literature is how nutritional-labeling requirements affect emerging markets. In contrast to the situation in long-developed countries, emerging markets are subject to different pressures for food marketers and thus a distinctive environment surrounds the regulation of food product labeling. In China, food safety and quality is considered an urgent concern, and the issue has forced regulators and companies to take action (Yan, 2008). Unlike mature stock markets, the majority of investors in China are individuals (Chen, Li, & Shi, 2010). The Chinese markets are under-regulated and deficient in gathering and disseminating information to private or public organizations, and it is difficult for listed firms with insufficient records to form reputations (Singh et al., 2005). As a result, information asymmetry is accentuated and imperfect signals released from firms highly impact investor decisions. Thus, examining the effectiveness of labeling requirements in developing economies is important as is comparing these results to those found in more developed countries. Despite the importance of the issue in emerging markets, empirical work for investigating investor response to the public policy of nutrition labeling (Ghani, & Childs, 1999) or firms’ nutrition claim strategies (Cao & Yan, 2016) has been restricted in developed markets (e.g., the U.S.). Little is understood the changes in corporate financial performance because of regulations requiring product information disclosure in emerging markets. As a result of the pressures for consumer protection and regulation, it is increasingly important for policy makers to be able to understand the financial consequences of such regulation because of information disclosure policies (Moorman et al., 2005). Thus, an additional contribution of this study is to help better inform the policy debate in emerging markets. To fill these research gaps, we investigated the influence of the influx of standardized product information on the stock market. Specifically, we conducted an event study to examine the effect on firms’ stock values from the issuance of the food nutrition label acts (FNLAs) in China, a fast-growing emerging market. The acts require food manufacturers to provide standardized nutritional information on pre-packaged food labels. This study contributes to the marketing literature on the financial impact of regulation in emerging markets. In China, on the day the FNLA was issued, they were associated with positive abnormal stock returns of related firms. This result is contrary to the study by Ghani and Childs (1999) that reported that the NLEA passage showed a negative impact on firms’ stock prices. Second, the financial value from the issuance of regulations was strengthened by three marketing leverages—advertising, donations, and R&D. Finally, although Moorman et al. argued that the NLEA increased the number of small-share firms exiting the U.S. market (Moorman et al., 2005), we found that in the short term, large firms benefited less than small firms from product information disclosure in China’s stock market. These findings provide empirical evidence that regulatory controls create changes in shareholder wealth and provide an assessment of the financial market’s perceptions regarding the role of mandatory product- information disclosure in future corporate growth. In addition, evidence of the effects of regulatory changes on wealth is of significant value to policymakers and market participants as they evaluate the benefits and costs of information disclosure in emerging markets.

In terms of sustainability alone, consumers are faced with a staggering assortment of 463 different labels across 25 industry sectors, a number that is only expected to grow over time (Ecolabel Index 2016). Amid growing environmental concerns, research suggests that many consumers are unlikely to consider the consequences of their choices at the point of purchase, or if they attempt to do so, they generally do not have the information necessary to make more sustainable choices. Given the rise of ineffective green communication protocols and consumers’ concerns with environmental impacts associated with their purchases, this paper attempts to understand how the provision of sustainability labeling can influence comprehension and consumer decision-making. Utilizing the ambiguity theoretical framework (Einhorn and Hogarth 1985), we suggest that perceptions of sustainability will be influenced using an anchor comprising a plausible range based on consumers’ existing beliefs and internal points of reference (Broniarczyk and Alba 1994). That is, consumers revert to a pre-existing reference point, and the new information does not allow for much movement in perceptions. In an ambiguous situation in which consumers have limited knowledge of product sustainability, the perceived brand-based sustainability level is expected to allow consumers to establish an initial value of sustainability (Hogarth and Kunreuther 1992). Our findings suggest that providing environmental information can be a useful tool in assisting consumers in making sustainable decisions. Providing quantitative aggregated environmental impact information of products influences consumers’ perceived ambiguity, leading to evaluation of the brand. The perceived ambiguity derived from sustainability level provides an underlying mechanism in information processing. Given rising concerns about consumers ability to process sustainability information in an efficient manner, our findings suggest that one way to encourage consumers to better process the sustainability information is to mitigate perceived ambiguity. Enforcing disclosure initiatives that assess the environmental impact of products can provide benefit to firms—especially for product categories in which limited loyalty or differentiation exists. Sustainability disclosures appear to offer a mechanism that can help consumers make informed decisions. Furthermore, extrapolating the influence of disclosures on consumer evaluation and choice across the variety of product categories for which consumers routinely make purchases suggests the potential for dramatic increases in global sustainability.

The objective of this study is to provide direction in the improvement of sodium labeling in an effort to reduce consumption. We surveyed confirmation and importance of food labeling and nutrition information and we also analyzed the willingness to pay on new nutrients labeling. Consumers checked the sell-by-date, product name, method of intake, but not nutritional information. They also checked for calories and carbohydrates but they were not interested in sodium, sugar, and trans fat which are health hazard nutrients. It is necessary to improve nutrition labeling, because consumers are experiencing difficulties in obtaining sodium information under the nutrition labeling system. Consumers will pay about 0.66% more if new sodium labeling is introduced. In conclusion, food labeling system can be improved by smooth and efficient access of information. for health-hazard nutritional components, such as sodium, it is important to introduce policies that reduce their intake. This can be done by providing consumers with clear and concise information. The social costs of high sodium intake could be reduced, hence improving the national health.