Abstract:
The aim of our work is to describe perceptions of the Algerian consumers with respect to the nutrition claims.
The food products put on the market with a nutrition claims were inventoried and to analyze opposite the Algerian and international regulation. The estimate of knowledge and the level of information of the consumers for the perception of the nutrition claims as well as the determination of the attitudes and the behavior of purchase of the consumers with respect to the nutrition claims are to realize by an investigation near 2200 subjects (933 mens and 1 267 womens) old from 21 to 62 years residents in the commune of Sétif, located at the Algerian east.
All in all, the food products put on the market with a nutrition claims are in conformity with the approved standards and with the legal and lawful specifications which characterize them and relate to them.
We observed that the women are more informed than the men and have a better score of knowledge as regards food health, whereas no subject obtained good score (9 – 11 points). For 83,18% of the subjects think of having a balanced food, it is to have a varied food and 60,55% grant to the food act an essential thing to live. The health and the personal preferences of the subjects are the factors significantly prevalent in the influence of the composition of the meals.
With regard to the claims, 89,14% do not know what this term means and about half of the subjects (48,45%) give importance to the nutrition claims at the time of the purchase of foodstuffs. The men significantly grant of it more concern to the moment of the purchase than the women. In addition, at the time of the purchases, the nutrition claims significantly is sought by the subjects whose educational level is high (76,06%).
The food products exempt conservatives are one of the signs of quality prevailing at surveyed. The subjects of a high educational level are interested significantly in the signs of quality which are : produced light, rich in vitamins and minerals, without cholesterol and conservatives. Two thirds of the subjects (66,64%) choose the food products according to the taste.
The surveyed population is significantly selective with regard to the quality of food. Confidence in the healthiness of food is significantly the most important parameter at the time of the purchase of the food products, particularly for the women (40,25%), and for the subjects on low educational level. Nearly 85% of the
subjects significantly read more the labels at the time of decision making as regards purchase of the
