Front of package nutritional icons and their influence on adolescent consumers' attitude towards and purchase intentions of packaged food

Abstract

Consumers of packaged foods in Australia and worldwide are faced with an array of Front ofPackage (FOP) nutritional icons that attempt to influence consumers’ decision making at the point of sale. As obesity becomes an increasingly important health issue for the nation, steps must be taken to reduce the ambiguity of nutritional information so that consumers can make more informed decisions. Following a recent US study by Andrews, Burton and Kees (2010), this paper explores the role that FOP nutritional icons play as signals in the formation of attitudes and purchase intentions in adolescent consumers. In addition, the role of subjective knowledge and motivation will also be explored.