Use and Understanding of Nutrition Labels Among Consumers in Lilongwe (Malawi) (Report‪)‬

INTRODUCTION The development of global supermarkets is bringing a plethora of new pre-packaged foods to the developing nations. Many consumers discover these foods displayed in stores, but they cannot taste or smell the products before purchase. Nutrition labelling educates them about what they are buying and eating [1]. It also allows consumers to make informed choices based on safety, cultural, ethical, religious and dietary concerns [2, 3]. In view of the unprecedented importance of nutrition labels, debates are progressive, ongoing and inconclusive at international, regional and national levels regarding what goes into the label, format, verifiability, size, impact and authority [4]. Different groups have argued for their concerns to be labelled: ingredients, residues, animal welfare, allergens, environmental impact, nutrition, ethics and others [4]. For countries in sub-Saharan Africa, nutrition labelling has become a core policy issue in view of emerging diet-related diseases (such as diabetes, coronary heart disease and cancer) which are fast becoming a big threat to public health as reported by the World Health Organisation [5].