Eureka! Institutional Repository

The evolution of technology, coupled with the increasing demands of consumers on food quality and variety, has led the global food industry to increase its food variety in terms of processed and prepared products. In recent decades, nutrition labels, which have been a guide to consumer information, have played an important role. Nutrition labels describe the nutrient content of a food in order to make the consumer aware of what the food contains and to help him make the right nutrition choices to follow a healthy and balanced diet. The nutrition information provided should be selected on the basis of consistency with dietary recommendations. Proper monitoring of the information provided on food labels (such as expiry dates, operating instructions and allergy warnings) can help consumers avoid unnecessary food borne illnesses and allergic reactions. Nutrition labels can thus help fight obesity, hypertension and other pathological conditions as well as any food allergies. The present study deals with the knowledge, opinions and attitudes of consumers about the labeling and nutritional labeling of food in various cities of Greece.