Rótulos de produtos alimentícios como elementos informativos: um estudo da percepção dos consumidores.

Abstract

The main function of packaging labels is to inform the characteristics of the products by means of their verbal and non-verbal languages. The purpose is to attract and assist consumers to make healthier food choices by providing information on nutrient content, which should be included in accordance with current legislative and regulatory requirements. The objective of this research was to evaluate, in a syntactic and semantic way, the comprehension and perception of the informative elements contained in labels of food products by consumers from the City of Campina Grande - PB. Based on the multi-method approach originally proposed by Queiroz (2001) for desktop applications, the adopted methodology also considered the recent adaptation made by Costa (2017) for digital games, which integrates four evaluation approaches, namely: (i) compliance inspection; (ii) performance measurement; (iii) user satisfaction; and (iv) semantic analysis. The methodological adaptation for product labels was validated by a case study involving three (03) brands of fermented dairy drinks. Ninety-nine representative consumers participated in the experiment. Questionnaires and interviews containing objective and subjective questions were administered in a controlled environment before and after the usability test. The questions focused on the labels, aiming at gathering contributions on the hypotheses made for this research. Results confirmed the robustness and the complementarity of the evaluation strategies combined in the methodological adaptation made for studying the consumer perception of the informative elements contained in product labels. Such results highlight the importance of a more attentive and investigative look by the industry, the designer, and the evaluator regarding the development and the conception of labels as instruments of communication and direct information between the consumer and the product.