Assessment of Food Label Literacy amongst dental undergraduates: An Interventional study

NEED FOR STUDY:

In today’s highly globalised world, with the increasing demand of packaged food items, food packaging safety has become one of the most important criteria for the cultivation of healthy eating habits. The FSSAI Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, has the president over managing food safety and food labelling. The label contains of much information such as, nutritive values, fat content, additives, preservatives, expiry and manufacturing dates, whether the product is vegetarian, or non-vegetarian, whether the packaging is environmentally friendly and price. [1] Proper deduction of this information is necessary in order to assess the nutritional value of the packaged food.

Curating healthy eating habits depend upon an individual’s nutritional knowledge about food packaging.[3] Such healthy habits are better retained if started in the younger stages of life. Health care professionals have the need to lead a healthy and balanced lifestyle to support their otherwise stressful working conditions. Thus, a need for evaluation of food labelling literacy amongst young adults, and implementing ways of improving their knowledge regarding the same arises. [1,2]

The study is hence undertaken to assess the effect of awareness among dental students about food label literacy to impart healthy eating habits and smarter choices for food consumption.

 AIM: To assess the effect of knowledge intervention among dental undergraduates towards food label literacy.

 OBJECTIVES: To assess the baseline knowledge of students’ regarding food label literacy and its effect on consumption of food products. To aid in improvement of the students’ food label literacy.

 METHODS:

Phase 1- (Pre) Baseline information

The students will be asked to take a self-designed pre-test, to assess their perception of food labelling.

Phase 2- Intervention

Training will be given to the students regarding essentials of food labelling protocols, which will ensure their basic level of understanding of food packaging and making smart choices while purchasing food items.

Phase 3- (Post) Evaluation

A post-test will be conducted with the students to assess their perception and awareness regarding food labelling literacy and its effects on consuming better food products.