EUFIC Portion Size Study: Consumer research on how consumers interpret and use portion information on food and drink packaging

Project website

Summary

Portion information often appears on food and drink labels but little is known about how consumers interpret and use this information. To find out EUFIC has collaborated with Dr Monique Raats to carry out an online survey of 13,117 consumers in 6 EU countries (Germany, UK, Spain, France, Poland and Sweden).

In a climate of overweight and obesity, how much consumers eat is just as important as what they eat. This is the most comprehensive study of consumers use of portion information in Europe. It provides evidence that when portion information is present on pack in addition to per 100g/100ml information, consumers can apply it to help them to use nutrition information correctly. Whilst there is an opportunity to educate consumers on what constitutes a portion and how they are set, the challenge remains to encourage consumers to look for and use this information.

Initial findings

About half of respondents considered portion size relevant to them and the majority of these considered it to mean the amount they should eat in one sitting
For the majority of products respondents agreed that given portion sizes were realistic
In general portion information did indeed make nutritional information more useful to respondents
Most consumers surveyed did not know how portion sizes were set or who set them
As pack size increased respondents’ estimates of the number of portions inside and the actual number of portions given by the manufacturers became more consistent

For more detail of these initial results, please see the EUFIC webinar available on the EUFIC website.

Funder

EUFIC

Team

Contacts

Professor Monique Raats

Co-Director, Institute for Sustainability; Professor; Director of the Food, Consumer Behaviour and Health Research Centre; School of Psychology Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Lead

Biography

I am a founding Co-Director of the University's Institute for Sustainability, and director of the Food, Consumer Behaviour and Health (FCBH) Research Centre. Together with the university’s Department of Nutritional Sciences, FCBH was awarded the prestigious 2017/2018 Queen’s Anniversary Prize. FCBH research domains include:

food-related behaviour and policy interventions to achieve sustainable and healthy lifestyles;
social, policy and ethical issues relevant to the grand societal challenges such as sustainability and obesity;
study of food systems from the perspective of significant actors and stakeholders within the system; and
methodologically advancing food consumer science through exploring novel data sources and methods of data linking.

I previously worked at the Institute of Food Research (now Quadram Institute), Health Education Authority and University of Oxford. My expertise is in the area of public health and behavioural nutrition research, gained on a variety of projects. My research is wide ranging both in terms of topics covered (e.g. food choice, policy development, food safety) and methodologies used (e.g. qualitative, quantitative, stakeholder consultation). I have also been involved in the evaluation of health promotion programmes and developing tools for use in nutrition education. To date I have published over 145 refereed papers, numerous non-refereed publications including 20 book chapters 20 book chapters and have edited two books ("The Psychology of Food Choice" (2006) and "Food for the Ag(e)ing Population" (1st edition 2009; 2nd edition 2016).

From 2011 until June 2018 I was a member of UK's Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) and also a member of the Subgroup on Maternal and Child Nutrition (SMCN) from 2012 until June 2018.

I am one of the founding members, member of the Board of Directors (2001-2006) and was secretary (2004-2006) of the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. The society was set up to combine interests in diet and physical activity; and to stimulate, promote and advocate innovative research and policy in the area. The society now plays an important role in fostering excellence in research in this field through its annual meetings and journal called the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.

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