Research into food label design shows that consumers check the calorie and fat content first on food labels, and while they understand the term 'trace,' they confuse the terms sodium and salt.
The Food Standards Agency research also suggests that although many people do not understand what constitutes 'a portion,' they are more likely to check nutritional values 'per serving' than 'per 100g.'
The study, based on group and individual in-depth interviews, compared eight different specimen labels (including the current standard layout) to see which layouts were easiest to read and understand.
The report findings concluded that people generally check calories first, with fat content the most commonly-avoided nutrient.
Salt was preferred to sodium as a clearer labelling term. Although salt is regularly listed on labels and is useful for people with conditions such as high blood pressure who need to reduce their salt intake, sodium occurs in ingredients other than salt. Sodium bicarbonate, for example, is regularly added to bakery products.
Consumers understood that 'trace' means a small amount, and felt that replacing it with '0' would be inaccurate and misleading. The research also noted that putting nutritional values as a percentage of Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) confuses people.
The research found that consumers were in favour of some reordering of important nutrients such as salt in food labels, and putting some in bold or in a separate text box, but this could risk downgrading the perceived value of others, particularly sugars.
However the report revealed that people don't always check labels, particularly for items they buy regularly.
One study participant said: "I'm not going to stand there and read every single blooming label. I'm going to look at what's important, like this (calories and fat) but not the rest of the stuff."
Out of the eight sample labels shown to consumers, they chose the one which grouped together fat, saturates and salt (linked to coronary heart disease) as most sensible.
The report will be used to in the event of future discussions about nutritional labelling across the EC.