Nutritional supplement products: Does the label information influence purchasing decisions for the physically active?

Area of Science:

• Nutritional Science
• Consumer Health
• Regulatory Science

Background:

• Global sales of nutritional supplements are rising, driven by marketing rather than proven efficacy.
• The accuracy of nutritional supplement labels is often not verified.
• Potential contaminants or adulterants in supplements may be responsible for perceived effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate consumer decision-making processes when purchasing nutritional supplements.
• To assess the influence of label information on consumer purchasing behavior.
• To identify areas for improvement in nutritional supplement labeling and quality control.

Main Methods:

• A self-administered questionnaire was used to gather data from 259 participants.
• The questionnaire included seven closed and open-ended questions.
• Descriptive statistics were calculated using Statistica Version 10.

Main Results:

• Nearly 70% of consumers were strongly influenced by claims that supplements are free of banned substances.
• Over 50% of consumers considered the quality of information on the label important.
• Approximately 40% of consumers were influenced by ingredient lists when purchasing supplements.

Conclusions:

• Current nutritional supplement labeling practices have significant shortcomings.
• There are opportunities to enhance both label and non-label information dissemination.
• Quality assurance laboratory screening for contaminants and adulterants is recommended to safeguard consumers.