THE ROLE OF THE NUTRITION LABEL IN SHAPING STUDENTS' EATING BEHAVIOUR

Both researchers and business specialists are trying to find a common ground on the definition and use of nutrition labeling for food products. Especially after December 2014, European legislation stipulates as an obligation for companies to introduce a nutrition declaration in food labeling. Under the consumers' right to be properly informed about food, manufacturers developed several voluntary systems of nutrition declaration on food labels to facilitate understanding of information. The paper aims to highlight theoretical and practical developments in nutrition labeling, with focus on those that enhanced the informational role of nutrition label in shaping consumers' eating behavior. The research involved identifying students' perception on the opportunity, content, complexity and authenticity of nutrition labels and their impact on consumer decision. Thus, a qualitative research was performed using a focus group as main technique. The investigated group was formed by students in the master program Quality Management, Expertise and Consumer Protection - Faculty of Business and Tourism in The Bucharest University of Economic Studies. Motives, beliefs, attitudes in different acquisition scenarios were studied to help understand how respondents perceive nutritional information. Several data and publications were used, as: academic literature, legislation, reports and recommendations from the European Commission, websites of organizations in this field, and data collected during the focus group debates. The results reveals clues on the most well-known and appreciated system of nutrition labeling - Front Of Pack (FOP) - required to choose the most effective model for companies to improve their nutrition labeling of food.