NUTRITIONAL LABELING: A FACTOR THAT INFLUENCES THE CONSUMPTION OF DIET AND LIGHT FOODS

Diet and light foods have been gaining a space of great significance in relation to their consumption. It is noteworthy that people, constantly, do not have the habit of reading and/or do not know how to analyze the labels on product packages. Therefore, the aim of this work was to evaluate the consumption and understanding of consumers regarding diet and light foods. The present study was conducted online, with 103 people. A semi-structured questionnaire containing questions regarding food labeling and the consumption of diet and light products was used and applied via Google forms through social networks (WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, E-mail, Telegram). There was a greater participation of people of the female gender (72.8%). About 83% and 78% of the participants reported they did not use to consume diet and light foods, respectively. More than half of the participants (58.3%) reported they had the habit of reading nutrition labels. Most of them reported they knew the difference between diet and light foods (65%), with 30.1% reporting that diet foods do not have sugar in their composition and 35.9% claiming that light products have reduced calorie levels. The level of education and income influenced the habit of reading labels and knowledge about such foods. Most respondents read the labels and understand the importance, but do not have the knowledge regarding what diet and light products are and for whom they are intended, emphasizing the need to develop educational programs and strategies that clarify how to evaluate and understand nutritional labeling.