Effects of label understanding level on consumers' visual attention toward sustainability and process-related label claims found on chicken meat products

- Enhanced knowledge of sustainability labels increased visual attention to the labels.
- Enhanced understanding of label claims resulted in positive purchase behaviors.
- Label education led visual fixation toward labels to be associated with purchase intent.

Consumers' food purchase behavior is influenced by label information displayed on the product. However, consumers vary in their label knowledge, affecting their individual product quality perception and purchase intent. An eye-tracking is an objective methodology that has been used to analyze consumers' purchase behavior in terms of their visual attention to labels. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of label education on consumers' purchase behavior, measured with respect to their visual attention to label claims on chicken products. Twenty-nine participants with prior food label education were chosen to represent the High Label Understanding (HLU) group. Additionally, 29 new participants without any kind of prior label education were selected as a Control (CNTL) group. Each participant viewed packaging images of chicken meat products using the eye-tracker and answered additional subjective questions relating to their potential purchase behavior (purchase intent, trust in product, and overall liking). Participants in the CNTL group examined the appearance of the meat product more often and longer than did those in the HLU group. In contrast, participants in the HLU group looked at the label claims associated with sustainability and process more often and longer than did those in the CNTL group. Furthermore, participants in the HLU group liked and trusted the chicken products significantly more than did those in the CNTL group. In conclusion, our findings provide empirical evidence that enhanced label-knowledge increases consumers' visual attention to labels with a possibility of translation into positive purchase behavior.