Food Labelling Awareness and Consumer Behaviour Among Shoppers in Supermarkets in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State

Food labelling provides consumers with critical nutritional information that can guide healthier food choices, yet its utility depends on consumer awareness and literacy. This study examines food labelling awareness and purchasing behaviour among adult shoppers in major supermarkets in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, South South Nigeria. The growing availability of packaged foods in Nigerian urban retail environments has increased the importance of consumer nutrition literacy, particularly regarding the reading and understanding of nutrition information panels, ingredient lists, and expiry dates. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 240 adult shoppers intercepted at four major supermarkets in Uyo. Structured exit interviews assessed awareness of nutrition labels, ability to interpret key label components including energy content, daily value percentages, and ingredient listings, and the extent to which label information influenced purchase decisions. Sociodemographic data including educational attainment, income level, and health status were also collected. Findings are expected to reveal low utilisation of nutrition labels, with most consumers focusing on product expiry and branding rather than nutritional content. Education level was hypothesised as the strongest predictor of label literacy. The study recommends public nutrition education campaigns and simplified front-of-pack labelling systems for the Nigerian retail market. Keywords: food labelling, consumer behaviour, nutrition literacy, Uyo, supermarkets.