Available evidence suggests that consumers who do look at nutrition labels can understand some of the terms used but are confused by other types of information. Whether or not consumers can understand and use nutrition labelling depends on the purpose of the task.
We found that reported use of nutrition labels is high but more objective measures suggest that actual use of nutrition labelling during food purchase may be much lower. Only a few studies (9%) were judged to be of high or medium–high quality. One hundred and three papers were identified that reported on consumer understanding or use of nutrition labelling, most originating from North America or northern Europe.
