Share:


Towards a digital native era in nutrition: introducing the m-format labeling

    Magdalena Bobe Affiliation
    ; Roxana Procopie Affiliation
    ; Rodica Pamfilie Affiliation
    ; Robert Bumbac Affiliation
    ; Smaranda Giușcă Affiliation
    ; Mihaela Mihai Affiliation
    ; Alexandru Jurconi Affiliation

Abstract

The advent of m-commerce has reinvented and simplified the shopping experience for the digital native generation. The following questions were the starting points for this research: is nutrition labeling important in purchase decisions? Could a new format for food nutrition labeling in m-commerce be the optimal way to inform the younger generation and enrich their shopping experience? This study continues the authors’ research on the food preferences of the younger generation by conducting a quantitative study on a sample of 364 students. The aim of the paper is to identify the factors that influence online food orders and the ways in which nutrition labeling can enhance consumers’ purchasing experiences and eating habits. The results show that nutrition facts play an important role in online purchases of new or unfamiliar foods. Control over one’s own diet and a higher income also make digital natives more interested in ordering food online. The use of a mobile format for nutrition labeling would be the necessary update for the food industry to turn nutrition data into added value, help consumers get a balanced diet and personalize nutritional needs, and for policymakers to adjust nutrition standards and policies toward healthier and more responsible consumption patterns.

Keyword : consumer behavior, food, digital natives, mobile commerce, m-format, nutrition labeling, logistic regression

How to Cite
Bobe, M., Procopie, R., Pamfilie, R., Bumbac, R., Giușcă, S., Mihai, M., & Jurconi, A. (2024). Towards a digital native era in nutrition: introducing the m-format labeling. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 25(2), 246–267. https://doi.org/10.3846/jbem.2024.21143
Published in Issue
Apr 2, 2024
Abstract Views
449
PDF Downloads
419
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

References

Akçayır, M., Dündar, H., & Akçayır, G. (2016). What makes you a digital native? Is it enough to be born after 1980? Computers in Human Behavior, 60, 435–440. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.02.089

Akram, U., Ansari, A. R., Fu, G., & Junaid, M. (2020). Feeling hungry? let’s order through mobile! Examining the fast food mobile commerce in China. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 56, Article 102142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102142

Ali, S., Khalid, N., Javed, H. M. U., & Islam, D. Md. Z. (2021). Consumer Adoption of Online Food Delivery Ordering (OFDO) services in Pakistan: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic situation. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 7(1), Article 10. https://doi.org/10.3390/joitmc7010010

Anastasiou, K., Miller, M., & Dickinson, K. (2019). The relationship between food label use and dietary intake in adults: A systematic review. Appetite, 138, 280–291. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2019.03.025

Anderson, D., Sweeney, D., Williams, T., Camm, J., & Cochran, J. (2017). Statistics for business & economics (13th ed.). Cengage Learning.

Andrien, M., & Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (1994). Social communication in nutrition.

Annunziata, A., & Vecchio, R. (2012). Factors affecting use and understanding of nutrition information on food labels: Evidences from consumers. Agricultural Economics Review, 13(2), 103–116.

Ashraf, A. R., Thongpapanl Tek, N., Anwar, A., Lapa, L., & Venkatesh, V. (2021). Perceived values and motivations influencing m-commerce use: A nine-country comparative study. International Journal of Information Management, 59, Article 102318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2021.102318

Begley, A., Paynter, E., Butcher, L., & Dhaliwal, S. (2019). Examining the association between food literacy and food insecurity. Nutrients, 11(2), Article 445. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11020445

Bobe, M., Procopie, R., & Bumbac, R. (2019). The role of the nutrition label in shaping students’ eating behaviour. In R. Pamfilie, V. Dinu, L. Tăchiciu, D. Pleșea, & C. Vasiliu (Eds.), BASIQ International Conference: New Trends in Sustainable Business and Consumption (pp. 600–608). Editura ASE.

Brewer, P., & Sebby, A. G. (2021). The effect of online restaurant menus on consumers’ purchase intentions during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 94, Article 102777. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102777

Bumbac, R., Bobe, M., Procopie, R., Pamfilie, R., Giușcă, S., & Enache, C. (2020). How zoomers’ eating habits should be considered in shaping the food system for 2030 – a case study on the young generation from Romania. Sustainability, 12(18), Article 7390. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187390

Cecchini, M., & Warin, L. (2016). Impact of food labelling systems on food choices and eating behaviours: a systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized studies. Obesity Reviews, 17(3), 201–210. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12364

Christoph, M. J., An, R., & Ellison, B. (2015). Correlates of Nutrition label use among college students and Young Adults: A Review. Public Health Nutrition, 19(12), 2135–2148. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980015003183

Christoph, M. J., & An, R. (2018). Effect of nutrition labels on dietary quality among college students: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrition Reviews, 76(3), 187–203. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nux069

Cioba, L. G. (2020, December 14). VTEX: Creștere cu până la 400% a vânzărilor online de alimente și produse necesare „noii normalități”. Forbes. https://www.forbes.ro/vtex-crestere-cu-pana-la-400-vanzarilor-online-de-alimente-si-produse-necesare-noii-normalitati-196048

Cooney, A. M. (2020). How do food shopping behaviors differ between high-income and low-income shoppers in the Grand Rapids Metropolitan Area? https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/theses/1001/

Crowson, M. (2021, May). Hierarchical logistic regression using SPSS.

Dana, L. M., Hart, E., McAleese, A., Bastable, A., & Pettigrew, S. (2021). Factors associated with ordering food via online meal ordering services. Public Health Nutrition, 24(17), 5704–5709. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980021001294

Dsouza Prima, F., & Parappagoudar, S. K. (2021). SWOC analysis of Zomato – a case of online food delivery services. International Research Journal of Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science, 3(3), 537–544.

EIT Food, & SATEAN. (2021). Food foresight: Impactul COVID-19 asupra sectorului alimentar din Europa Centrală și de Est. Raport pe țară: Romania. https://www.eitfood.eu/media/download/foodforesight/EIT-Food-Romania.pdf

Elliott, K. M., & Hall, M. C. (2005). Assessing consumers’ propensity to embrace self-service technologies: Are there gender differences? Marketing Management Journal, 15(2), 98–107.

European Commision. (2020). Raport al Comisiei către Parlamentul European și Consiliu privind utilizarea formelor de exprimare și de prezentare suplimentare ale declarației nutriționale. https://data.consilium.europa.eu/doc/document/ST-8310-2020-INIT/ro/pdf

Fernandes, A. C., Oliveira, R. C., Proença, R. P. C., Curioni, C. C., Rodrigues, V. M., & Fiates, G. M. R. (2016). Influence of menu labeling on food choices in real-life settings: A systematic review. Nutrition Reviews, 74(8), 534–548. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuw013

Fernandez, M. A., & Raine, K. D. (2021). Digital food retail: Public Health Opportunities. Nutrients, 13(11), Article 3789. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13113789

Gomes, S., Nogueira, M., & Ferreira, M. (2017). Portuguese consumers’ attitudes towards food labelling. World Health Organisation. https://alimentacaosaudavel.dgs.pt/activeapp2020/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Foodlabeling-in-Portugal_web.pdf

Grunert, K. G., & Wills, J. M. (2007). A review of European research on consumer response to nutrition information on food labels. Journal of Public Health, 15(5), 385–399. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-007-0101-9

Gurtner, S., Reinhardt, R., & Soyez, K. (2014). Designing mobile business applications for different age groups. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 88, 177–188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2014.06.020

Gutek, B. A., & Bikson, T. K. (1985). Differential experiences of men and women in computerized offices. Sex Roles, 13(3–4), 123–136. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287905

Harrison, A. W., & Rainer, R. K. (1992). The influence of individual differences on skill in end-user computing. Journal of Management Information Systems, 9(1), 93–111. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421222.1992.11517949

Hernandez-Fernandez, A., Kuster-Boluda, I., & Vila-Lopez, N. (2022). Nutritional information labels and health claims to promote healthy consumption. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 37(8), 1650–1661. https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-09-2020-0426

Hobin, E., Lillico, H., Zuo, F., Sacco, J., Rosella, L., & Hammond, D. (2016). Estimating the impact of various menu labeling formats on parents’ demand for fast-food kids’ meals for their children: An experimental auction. Appetite, 105, 582–590. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2016.06.017

Hurlin, C. (2015). Econométrie des Variables Qualitatives. http://www.univ-orleans.fr/deg/masters/ESA/CH/Qualitatif_Chapitre1.pdf

Iglesias-Pradas, S., & Acquila-Natale, E. (2023). The future of e-commerce: Overview and prospects of multichannel and omnichannel retail. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 18(1), 656–667. https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer18010033

Ikonen, I., Sotgiu, F., Aydinli, A., & Verlegh, P. W. J. (2020). Consumer effects of front-of-package nutrition labeling: an interdisciplinary meta-analysis. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 48(3), 360–383. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-019-00663-9

Jacobsen, L. F., Stancu, V., Wang, Q. J., Aschemann-Witzel, J., & Lähteenmäki, L. (2021). Connecting food consumers to organisations, peers, and technical devices: The potential of interactive communication technology to support consumers’ value creation. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 109, 622–631. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2021.01.063

Jones, A., Neal, B., Reeve, B., Ni Mhurchu, C., & Thow, A. M. (2019). Front-of-pack nutrition labelling to promote healthier diets: current practice and opportunities to strengthen regulation worldwide. BMJ Global Health, 4(6), Article e001882. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2019-001882

Jurconi, A., (Iacobescu), I. M., Manea, D.-I., Mihai, M., & Pamfilie, R. (2022). The impact of the “Green transition” in the field of food packaging on the behavior of Romanian consumers. Amfiteatru Economic, 24(60), 395–409. https://doi.org/10.24818/EA/2022/60/395

Kanter, R., Vanderlee, L., & Vandevijvere, S. (2018). Front-of-package nutrition labelling policy: Global progress and future directions. Public Health Nutrition, 21(8), 1399–1408. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980018000010

Kapoor, A. P., & Vij, M. (2018). Technology at the dinner table: Ordering food online through mobile apps. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 43, 342–351. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2018.04.001

Maity, M., & Dass, M. (2014). Consumer decision-making across modern and traditional channels: E-commerce, m-commerce, in-store. Decision Support Systems, 61, 34–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2014.01.008

Manea, D., Titan, E., Boboc, C., & Anoaica, A. (2016). Logistic regression in modelling some sustainable development phenomena. Economic Computation & Economic Cybernetics Studies & Research, 50(3), 83–100.

Mauch, C. E., Laws, R. A., Prichard, I., Maeder, A. J., Wycherley, T. P., & Golley, R. K. (2021). Commercially available apps to support healthy family meals: User testing of app utility, acceptability, and engagement. JMIR MHealth and UHealth, 9(5), Article e22990. https://doi.org/10.2196/22990

McFadden, D. (1968). Specification Tests for the Multinomial Logit Model. Econometrica, 52(5), 1219–1240. https://doi.org/10.2307/1910997

McKinsey. (2020). Consumer sentiment and behavior continue to reflect the uncertainty of the COVID-19 crisis. https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/marketing-and-sales/our-insights/a-global-view-of-how-consumer-behavior-is-changing-amid-covid-19#

McLean, G., Osei-Frimpong, K., Al-Nabhani, K., & Marriott, H. (2020). Examining consumer attitudes towards retailers’ m-commerce mobile applications – An initial adoption vs. continuous use perspective. Journal of Business Research, 106, 139–157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.08.032

Medina-Molina, C., & Pérez-González, B. (2020). Nutritional labelling and purchase intention interaction of interpretative food labels with consumers’ beliefs and decisions. British Food Journal, 123(2), 754–770. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-04-2020-0353

Mediratta, S., & Mathur, P. (2023). Understanding of nutrition information on food labels among higher income adults in India. Health Education Journal, 82(4), 461–472. https://doi.org/10.1177/00178969231172131

Monge, A. V. (2021). Buying food online: What explains the consumer purchase behaviour? International Journal of Food and Agricultural Economics, 9(1), 73–88.

Mu, W., Spaargaren, G., & Oude Lansink, A. (2019). Mobile apps for green food practices and the role for consumers: A case study on dining out practices with Chinese and Dutch young consumers. Sustainability, 11(5), Article 1275. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11051275

Naveena, R., & Mathan Kumar, V. (2021). Mobile applications impact and factors affecting online food delivery applications on the operations of the restaurant business. Turkish Journal of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, 32(3), 1056–1062.

Nelson, M. C., Story, M., Larson, N. I., Neumark‐Sztainer, D., & Lytle, L. A. (2008). Emerging adulthood and college‐aged youth: An overlooked age for weight‐related behavior change. Obesity, 16(10), 2205–2211. https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2008.365

Nowlan, G. (2013). Going mobile: Creating a mobile presence for your library. New Library World, 114(3/4), 142–150. https://doi.org/10.1108/03074801311304050

Ngubelanga, A., & Duffett, R. (2021). Modeling mobile commerce applications’ antecedents of customer satisfaction among millennials: An extended TAM perspective. Sustainability, 13(11), Article 5973. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13115973

Nguyen, B. T., & Powell, L. M. (2014). The impact of restaurant consumption among US adults: Effects on energy and nutrient intakes. Public Health Nutrition, 17(11), 2445–2452. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980014001153

Osborne, J. W. (2014). Best practices in logistic regression. Sage Publications. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781483399041

Oostenbach, L. H., Slits, E., Robinson, E., & Sacks, G. (2019). Systematic review of the impact of nutrition claims related to fat, sugar and energy content on food choices and energy intake. BMC Public Health, 19(1), Article 1296. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7622-3

Popa, M. (2010). Statistici multivariate aplicate in psihologie. Polirom.

Prada, M., Saraiva, M., Sério, A., Coelho, S., Godinho, C. A., & Garrido, M. V. (2021). The impact of sugar-related claims on perceived healthfulness, caloric value and expected taste of food products. Food Quality and Preference, 94, Article 104331. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2021.104331

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1108/10748120110424816

Priya, K. M., & Alur, S. (2023). Analyzing consumer behaviour towards food and nutrition labeling: A comprehensive review. Heliyon, 9(9), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19401

Radu, A. (2021, February 23). Raport GPeC E-Commerce România 2020: Cumpărături online de 5,6 miliarde de euro, în creștere cu 30% față de 2019. https://www.gpec.ro/blog/raport-gpec-e-commerce-romania-2020-cumparaturi-online-de-56-miliarde-de-euro-in-crestere-cu-30-fata-de-2019

Roberto, C. A., Larsen, P. D., Agnew, H., Baik, J., & Brownell, K. D. (2010). Evaluating the impact of menu labeling on food choices and intake. American Journal of Public Health, 100(2), 312–318. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2009.160226

Roberto, C. A., Ng, S. W., Ganderats-Fuentes, M., Hammond, D., Barquera, S., Jauregui, A., & Taillie, L. S. (2021). The influence of front-of-package nutrition labeling on consumer behavior and product reformulation. Annual Review of Nutrition, 41(1), 529–550. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-nutr-111120-094932

Roodenburg, A. J. C. (2017). Nutrient profiling for front of pack labelling: how to align logical consumer choice with improvement of products? Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 76(3), 247–254. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0029665117000337

Sarda, B., Julia, C., Serry, A.-J., & Ducrot, P. (2020). Appropriation of the front-of-pack nutrition label nutri-score across the French population: Evolution of awareness, support, and purchasing behaviors between 2018 and 2019. Nutrients, 12(9), Article 2887. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12092887

Schruff-Lim, E. M., van Loo, E. J., van Kleef, E., & van Trijp, H. C. M. (2023). Turning FOP nutrition labels into action: A systematic review of label+ interventions. Food Policy, 120, Article 102479. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2023.102479

Shangguan, S., Afshin, A., Shulkin, M., Ma, W., Marsden, D., Smith, J., Saheb-Kashaf, M., Shi, P., Micha, R., Imamura, F., & Mozaffarian, D. (2019). Food PRICE (Policy Review and Intervention Cost-Effectiveness) Project. A meta-analysis of food labeling effects on consumer diet behaviors and industry practices. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 56(2), 300–314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2018.09.024

Silva, A. R. C. S., Ni Mhurchu, C., & Anastacio, L. R. (2022). Comparison of two front-of-pack nutrition labels for Brazilian consumers using a smartphone app in a real-world grocery store: A pilot randomized controlled study. Frontiers in Nutrition, 9, Article 898021. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.898021

Sinclair, S. E., Cooper, M., & Mansfield, E. D. (2014). The influence of menu labeling on calories selected or consumed: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 114(9), 1375–1388. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2014.05.014

Smith, S. C., Taylor, J. G., & Stephen, A. M. (2000). Use of food labels and beliefs about diet–disease relationships among university students. Public Health Nutrition, 3(2), 175–182. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980000000203

Stones, C. (2016). Online food nutrition labelling in the UK: How consistent are supermarkets in their presentation of nutrition labels online? Public Health Nutrition, 19(12), 2175–2184. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980015003110

Tandon, P. S., Zhou, C., Chan, N. L., Lozano, P., Couch, S. C., Glanz, K., Krieger, J., & Saelens, B. E. (2011). The impact of menu labeling on fast-food purchases for children and parents. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 41(4), 434–438. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2011.06.033

Teo, T. (2013). An initial development and validation of a Digital Natives Assessment Scale (DNAS). Computers & Education, 67, 51–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2013.02.012

The Council of the European Union. (2019). Council conclusions on young creative generations. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv%3AOJ.C_.2019.189.01.0034.01.ENG&toc=OJ%3AC%3A2019%3A189%3AFULL

Thinyane, H. (2010). Are digital natives a world-wide phenomenon? An investigation into South African first year students’ use and experience with technology. Computers & Education, 55(1), 406–414. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2010.02.005

Tsikriktsis, N. (2004). A technology readiness-based taxonomy of customers. Journal of Service Research, 7(1), 42–52. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670504266132

Turner‐McGrievy, G. M., Wilcox, S., Boutté, A., Hutto, B. E., Singletary, C., Muth, E. R., & Hoover, A. W. (2017). The dietary intervention to enhance tracking with mobile devices (DIET mobile) study: A 6‐month randomized weight loss trial. Obesity, 25(8), 1336–1342. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.21889

Van Der Merwe, D., Kempen, E. L., Breedt, S., & De Beer, H. (2010). Food choice: Student consumers’ decision‐making process regarding food products with limited label information. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 34(1), 11–18. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1470-6431.2009.00858.x

Vanderlee, L., & Hammond, D. (2014). Does nutrition information on menus impact food choice? Comparisons across two hospital cafeterias. Public Health Nutrition, 17(6), 1393–1402. https://doi.org/10.1017/S136898001300164X

Verhoef, P. C., Kannan, P. K., & Inman, J. J. (2015). From multi-channel retailing to omni-channel retailing. Journal of Retailing, 91(2), 174–181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2015.02.005

Wang, G., Zhang, Z., Li, S., & Shin, C. (2023). Research on the influencing factors of sustainable supply chain development of agri-food products based on cross-border live-streaming e-commerce in China. Foods, 12(17), Article 3323. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12173323

ZF. (2022). PwC Romania: Online trade in food products will double its share on European markets by 2030. https://www.zf.ro/companii/retail-agrobusiness/pwc-romania-comertul-online-cu-produse-alimentare-isi-va-dubla-21184823

Zou, P., & Liu, J. (2019). How nutrition information influences online food sales. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 47(6), 1132–1150. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-019-00668-4