Perceptions of food labelling about allergens in food products in South Korea

Purpose - Allergy information on food labels is crucial to individuals with food allergies. The purpose of this paper is to investigate what information consumers are concerned with as well as improving the allergen information on the product labels. Design/methodology/approach - A questionnaire was developed based on previous studies and was administered to citizens in South Korea. Descriptive analysis and analysis of variance were conducted to find significances of important information when purchasing and improvement needed on the labels in relation to allergy knowledge. Findings - The results indicated that respondents were concerned about allergy information and general information regarding the basic value of food and also food safety. In addition, this study found knowledge of food allergies is not related to consideration of allergy information on labels. Originality/value - This study measured consumers' perceptions of the current food allergy labeling when purchasing food products. This study concluded improvements were needed in order to deliver allergy information in a clear manner. Such as font size, shape, and color should be implemented together in order to communicate effectively with allergic consumers.