Japanese survey of 60,000 people maps who reads nutrition labels and who does not

Females, people reporting lifestyle-related diseases, and adults in their 30s to 50s are more likely to read nutrition labels in Japan, while males, adults aged 70 and over, and people without reported lifestyle-related diseases lag behind, according to a large cross-sectional analysis of a national consumer survey.

The study, published in BMC Nutrition by Miyu Ono, Akiko Yaguchi-Saito, and Reiko Suzuki, drew on the Consumer Opinion Survey on Food Labelling, an annual survey conducted by the Consumer Affairs Agency of Japan. The researchers analysed data from fiscal years 2018 to 2023, covering a total of 60,000 respondents, and examined how awareness, understanding, and use of nutrition labelling varied by sex, age group, reported lifestyle-related diseases, and survey year.

Because the data were cross-sectional, the analysis captured associations at the time of each survey rather than causal effects. The authors used multivariable logistic regression to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for each demographic characteristic, allowing them to quantify differences between groups while adjusting for the other variables in the models.

The results showed a consistent pattern for sex. Females had higher odds of awareness than males, with an odds ratio of 1.28 (95% CI: 1.23–1.32), higher odds of understanding (OR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.22–1.31), and the largest gap in use, with an odds ratio of 1.44 (95% CI: 1.39–1.51). In other words, women in the survey were not only more likely to know about and comprehend nutrition labels but also substantially more likely to act on them when choosing foods.

Age showed a more differentiated pattern. Awareness was lower among respondents in their 20s through 50s compared with the reference group, whereas understanding and use were lower among those aged 70 and over. Use of nutrition labelling, by contrast, was higher among respondents in their 30s to 50s, suggesting that middle-aged adults engage with labels most actively even though their awareness scores were comparatively low.

Health status also mattered. Awareness and use of nutrition labelling increased with the number of reported lifestyle-related diseases in both males and females. Higher understanding, however, was observed only among males with multiple conditions: males reporting four diseases had 1.51 times the odds of understanding labels compared with males reporting none (95% CI: 1.26–1.81). The researchers also detected a statistically significant interaction between age group and number of diseases, with a p-value for interaction below 0.001, indicating that the relationship between age and labelling outcomes differed depending on disease burden.

Trends across survey years added a further dimension. From 2018 to 2023, awareness and understanding of nutrition labelling declined, while use increased.

Based on these patterns, the authors conclude that males, older adults, and people reporting no lifestyle-related diseases may represent key target groups for interventions aimed at improving engagement with nutrition labels. Because the findings come from a repeated cross-sectional survey of Japanese consumers rather than a longitudinal cohort or an intervention trial, they describe who currently engages with labels and how that engagement has shifted across survey waves, not what any particular programme would achieve.

Its identification of specific demographic gaps provides a factual baseline for future research and for any organisation seeking to understand which segments of the Japanese public currently pay the least attention to the nutrition information printed on the foods they buy.

Subject of Research: Cross-sectional associations between demographic factors and awareness, understanding, and use of nutrition labelling in Japan

Article Title: Awareness, understanding, and use of nutrition labelling in Japan: a cross-sectional study using the Consumer Opinion Survey on Food Labelling

Article References: Ono, M., Yaguchi-Saito, A., & Suzuki, R. (2026). Awareness, understanding, and use of nutrition labelling in Japan: a cross-sectional study using the Consumer Opinion Survey on Food Labelling. BMC Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40795-026-01508-9

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s40795-026-01508-9

Keywords: nutrition labelling, Japan, Consumer Affairs Agency, cross-sectional study, food labelling survey, lifestyle-related diseases, awareness, odds ratios, public health, consumer behaviour, age differences, sex differences