TRENDS IN FOOD LABEL USE ASSOCIATED WITH NEW NUTRITION LABELING REGULATIONS

Objectives. This st-tidy compared use of food labels before and after implementation of new Food and Drug Administration regulations in 1994 , Methods. Data were obtained by random-digit-dial surveys of Washingt on State residents in 1993 (n - 1001) and 1996 (n = 1450). Results. Af ter implementation of the new regulations, usual label use increased s ignificantly, by 8.5 percentage points in women and 11.3 percentage po ints in men. More respondents looked Cur information on fat content an d fewer failed ii, use labels because they ''take too much time'' or ' 'are too hard to understand.'' Conclusions. Use of food labels and sat isfaction with their content have increased but 70% of adults still wa nt labels to be easier to understand.