Effect of nutrition information in perceptions of food quality, consumption behavior and purchase intentions

When consumers have relevant information, they are empowered to make informed choices. Therefore, access to nutrition information at the point of purchase may empower customer decisions regarding food selection, and lead to higher satisfaction and product ratings. This study was designed to evaluate the impact of displayed nutrition information on customers' selections and ratings of food in a restaurant setting. Specific objectives were to compare selection, quality ratings, and intention to purchase ratings with and without information on nutrients per serving associated with entrée selections. When nutrition information was displayed, customers rated the food quality significantly higher, and had significantly higher intentions to repurchase than when no nutrition information was supplied. The nutrition information most important to the customers was total fat, calories, and fat calories per serving. Additionally, higher fat entrees were chosen less often and lower fat entrees more often, when nutrition information was displayed, than when no nutrition information was supplied. The effect of displaying nutrition information also seemed to influence food choices for side dishes, even though the information was only displayed for hot entrees. When nutrition information was displayed for the hot entrees, more vegetables and salads were selected, and fewer orders of French fries and desserts were chosen.