Legal Labeling of Sandwiches and Similar Products: Research Proposal

This research proposal delves into the critical importance of legal labeling for sandwiches and similar food products. The study investigates consumer preferences, the influence of labeling on purchasing decisions, and the impact of factors such as expiry dates and nutritional information on consumer behavior. The research aims to determine the reasons for legal labeling, including ensuring food safety, providing consumers with essential information, and influencing their perceptions of the products. The research design is descriptive, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods through surveys and interviews with consumers and retailers. The study also addresses ethical considerations, sample selection, and data analysis techniques to ensure the validity and reliability of the findings, ultimately contributing to a better understanding of consumer behavior and the role of legal labeling in the food industry. The study focuses on the importance of legal labeling to the consumers, and the research aims to analyze the benefits that consumers get from legal labeling of sandwiches and similar products.

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Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................2
Rationale of study....................................................................................................................................2
Importance of research question............................................................................................................3
Literature review.........................................................................................................................................4
Aims.............................................................................................................................................................5
Research design and method......................................................................................................................6
Research Design......................................................................................................................................6
Participants/Sample................................................................................................................................7
Ethics.......................................................................................................................................................8
Data collection.........................................................................................................................................9
Data analysis............................................................................................................................................9
Appendix 1.................................................................................................................................................11
Appendix 2.................................................................................................................................................13
List of resources required for conducting this survey:...........................................................................13
Timetable...............................................................................................................................................13
References.................................................................................................................................................15
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Introduction
The consumers in the market are no more illiterate and whenever they shop now, they do it with
full awareness. Earlier, the marketers used to tell them various stories and showed them visuals
about the product that often mislead them. But, now, they know that what the marketers are
doing and they are able to save themselves from the false words and promises. Thus, when the
products have appropriate description on them regarding all details, then consumers can be
assured that the product is quality product and they can use it without any fear (Block, 2013).
The direct indexical evidence that the consumers have is the immediate sight of the product.
This problem is mainly common in the food products as they have a direct effect on the health of
consumers therefore consumers take utmost care when buying food items like sandwiches. These
products are packed and sold very carefully so that direct sensory evidence is provided to the
people and all the quality claims gets validated. The product is comparable with other products
so that consumers can make a choice between the products that are available in the market. In the
current research paper, the legal labeling of sandwiches and similar products will be studied and
it will be analyzed that why the legal labeling is essential and why providing adequate
information to the consumers about a product is required by the marketers (Freeman, 2015).
Rationale of study
This study will help in determining that how the food labels or the legal labeling of sandwiches
help the consumers in getting information about the nutrients that are present in the food items
like sandwiches. There are some ingredients that are present in the food items to which any
particular consumer may be allergic. So, the consumers get to know about the food allergens
present in the items or the sandwiches. They are warned against eating it so that they save
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themselves from any harmful consequences of eating the product (Fernandes, 2016). Also, out of
the products sold in market, many products are those that are packed many days ago and they are
not fresh. With the legal labeling, the date of manufacturing and expiry has to be mentioned by
the producers so the consumers can protect themselves from buying stale food items.
Importance of research question
The research question is that ‘’why the legal labeling of sandwiches and similar products is
required?” This research question is important because food products like sandwiches are ready-
to-eat products. If they are not consumed within a particular time from the time of their
manufacturing, they are likely to cause health problems to the people because they lose the
nutrients, they become stale and the ingredients used in it also gets damaged. So, when the
reasons for the legal labeling of sandwiches and similar products will be known, then only it will
be followed by the marketers and the consumers will also become more aware (Koenigstorfer,
2014).
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Literature review
Ababio wrote a research paper on the topic “the relevance of food label information to the
consumers”. In this study, he surveyed the consumers in Ghana. He wanted to know that
whether the food label information helped the consumers in some way or not, or whether the
information was just useless and waste of time and effort by the manufacturers. In his research,
he found that almost 90% of the people considered the food label information and that
information influenced their buying behavior in the market. Also, out of those 90%, there were
almost 85% of the people who also followed the instructions on eating, consuming or storing the
products (Freeman, 2015). The reason why they did this was that they felt when they followed
the instructions and read the labels; they were able to eat healthy and right. They had less health
problems and they could consume fresh products with all the nutrients of their food kept intact.
So, it was concluded that when the consumers are given proper information about the product,
they becomes well-informed and they are able to take care of their health (Ababio, 2010). So,
this study was used in the present research also as it helped to establish the aims of this research
paper.
In another study, Amoah researched about the factors that make the consumers select a
sandwich. The factors that were used by the researcher in his study are: advertisement, quality,
discounts, packaging and taste. The choice of factor by the consumer determines that whether he
reads the labels on food products or not. For example, if the consumer is highly influenced by the
advertisement of the food item, then he may not read the label. Also, if he likes the taste of the
food product very much then it is less likely that he reads the label (Amoah, 2011) So impact of
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the factors on food labeling was analyzed in this research. This paper helped in finding out the
factors that influence the buying decision of a consumer apart from label.
Aims
The research question is that ‘’why the legal labeling of sandwiches and similar products is
required?” So, based on the research question, the following aims of the research paper have
been developed:
1. To find out whether consumers prefer the products with a manufacturing and expiry date
or without it.
2. To determine the buying behavior of consumers when the sandwiches and other similar
products are legally labeled.
3. To analyze the benefits that consumers get from legal labeling of sandwiches and similar
products.
4. To ascertain the effects of legal labeling of sandwiches and similar products on the health
of consumers.
5. To see how these legal labeling influence the perceptions of the consumers about the
sandwich and similar products.
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Research design and method
Research Design
The study tries to figure out the whether the consumers consult these labels before buying their
sandwich. Then the study tries to find the factors that encourage people to select a sandwich. It
may be the taste of sandwich, advertisement, brand, availability, quality, packaging, and
discounts, etc. (Hobin, 2016). The research also aims to whether the food label along with the
ingredients of sandwich would be useful for the consumers or not. The further research aims try
to examine whether it is understandable for the consumers regarding the ingredients that are
incorporated during the production of the sandwich. Then the sandwich eating habit of the
consumer can also be determined by finding out their buying patterns of their favorite sandwich
(Elbel, 2013). If they purchase it very frequently, that means, they have it as a part of their
routine, if they purchase it from parties and celebrations, so that means that eating their favorite
sandwich and related product items is a way for celebrating, and there may be several other
patterns that will be discovered in this study (Long, 2014). Finally, the study will determine the
sandwich is taking the pattern of customers keeping in mind the influence of food labeling in
their decision. In this, the regularity of consumption will be acknowledged like whether they eat
their preferred sandwich once in a day, twice in a day, once in a week and so on. So this study
deals with the consumption of sandwich as per the food labeling and the importance of food
labeling and its influence on the consumers (Freeman, 2015).
In the present study, our main aim is to find out the reasons that make the labeling of sandwiches
and similar products important. So, the research design here is descriptive (VanEpps, 2016). This
is because, the customers are being evaluated here and their preferences are determined to find
out that why the legal labeling is required. The involvement of consumers is a must in this study;
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therefor it is descriptive in nature. For doing this, quantitative data will be collected and analyzed
which is another feature of descriptive study. The environment in which the consumers purchase
the products is kept as it is and nothing is manipulated in the environment (Block, 2013).
Without changing the environment, the information from the consumers will be collected. The
behavior and attitudes of the consumers matters a lot in the present study which are the
descriptive characteristics. So, the entire research design is descriptive. The interaction with the
consumers will happen in this study in the form of interviews or surveys and necessary
information will be collected from the consumers to know that why the legal labeling is essential
for them as well as the marketers. Particularly this research design is chosen because the research
question requires the study to answer ‘why’ which is beset answered when descriptive study is
used in the research. Also, when the information is to be collected from the people (Hobin,
2016), then descriptive study makes the collection and analysis of the information very easy and
transparent.
Participants/Sample
The people who will participate in this includes the shoppers at all the retail outlets and the fast
food shops that sell sandwiches and similar products. A sample of 200 is estimated to participate
in this research. The retailers and the fast food sellers will be persuaded to distribute the
questionnaires to the people and consumers who come to their shops for buying things. Those
who will be willing to participate in the research will be given the questionnaires (Fernandes,
2016). The questionnaire will have a pledge at the top that the responses of the consumers will be
used for academic purpose only and their identity will not be disclosed without their permission.
So, if the consumers will be willing to respond to the questions, then only they will be asked to
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fill the forms, otherwise they will not be forced to do that as approval of the participants is very
important in this research. Usually, there is a particular method of sample selection like simple
random sampling, cluster sampling etc. but, in the present research, the sample will be selected
on the basis of willingness of people to participate and the researcher will not use any particular
method for sample selection (Thorndike, 2012). Only one consideration that will be made here
is, that the respondents who are in their teens or youth, they will be preferred over children.
These are the trend setters in today’s world and they are the ones who consume ready to eat
products like sandwiches the most. So, their responses will be most valuable in this study.
Ethics
This research will be conducted in an ethical manner. It would serve its purpose in the right
manner with utmost honesty. The communications that will happen with the parties outside like
the retailers and fast food shop owners that will be honest. Also, the reports, results etc. will be
communicated to the stakeholders in an honest manner. No information that is useful to the
stakeholders will be hidden from them or the information that can affect the buying decisions of
a consumer will be disclosed to them. All the objectives will be targeted and fully fulfilled in
this study. The research will give an insight to the people who will get them associated with it.
The data will also be collected in an honest way, and Cronbach's Alpha will be used for
determining the reliability of the data (Block, 2013). This will further help in testing the internal
consistency of the data. The literature that has been reviewed in this context is related to the
current study and is relevant to it. This can easily be tested by glancing at the references in the
bibliography as well as the in-text citations. The confidentiality and privacy of the respondents
will be maintained. The moral and the social values of the people will not be harmed with the
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results or the procedure of this study, instead, they will be given a chance to analyze their buying
patterns and they will be able to take care of their health in a proper way (Elbel, 2013).
Data collection
In this study, both primary, as well as secondary source will be used. In the primary source, a
questionnaire will be designed for conducting the primary research. Secondary sources will also
be used which will include journals, research papers and books that will be used to review the
literature. Both the methods are quite suitable for this study (Hobin, 2016). The questionnaire
will be used for fulfilling the objectives of the study as it will help to give a perspective of the
influence of the food labeling in the food choices (specifically the sandwiches and related
products) for the consumers (Newsome, 2014). The literature that is reviewed will be used as a
foundation for this study. Questionnaires are one of the best tools for collection of primary data
because large number of people can be included in the study with the help of questionnaires and
the time which is wasted in one-to-one interactions is saved. Here, the questionnaires will have
closed-ended questions, that is, the questions will have few options and the consumers will have
to select the answer from those options only (Fernandes, 2016). This will make the analysis of
the data collection easy and reliable. The open ended questions where the consumers are free to
write their views are difficult to analyze and interpret as each consumer has a different point of
view and it becomes difficult to generalize their varied thoughts.
Data analysis
Data will be analyzed using two softwares namely- SPSS and MS Excel. In SPSS, the data
reliability will be tested, so that the impacts could easily be determined. In Excel, the bar graphs,
pie charts, etc. will be prepared that will help in displaying the results in an appropriate manner.
Also, various calculations that include the numbers and frequency will be performed in this
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software. SPSS is recommended software for performing advanced analysis, but the reliability of
the data can be tested here only (Elbel, 2013). Graphs can also be prepared in the SPSS, but
Excel helped to give a better presentation to our work. MS Excel software was also be used for
making bar graphs and related stuff and for applying functions like ‘sum’; ‘if’; ‘count if’ on the
data. Data will be calculated and accordingly percentages etc. will be found out to know how
much consumers say/prefer what thing. Then correlation will be found to see the impact of one
variable on other like the impact of labeling on the buying behavior of consumers or the impact
of consumer education of the need of labeling etc. These concepts help in concluding the
research and develop the findings of the research (Kerr, 2015). Thus the consumer can see the
data and findings to know the results of the study.
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Appendix 1
Questionnaire
Questionnaire on Food Labels and the Sandwiches and related products (likes French sticks,
pittas, wraps, filled rolls, baps, baguettes, etc.)
This questionnaire is used for academic purpose only and the confidentiality of the respondents
will be maintained.
Age: ____ Male / Female
Answer question 2 to 10 in Yes or No.
1. Why do you consult food labels?
a. Nutrient information
b. Food additives
c. Use-by/best-before date
d. Allergen information
2. Would reading of the food labels of sandwich and related products have an impact on your
diet?
3. Do you understand what types of ingredients are incorporated during the production of these
sandwich and related products?
4. Do you believe to be influenced by the advertising phrases on these sandwiches and related
products, such as “healthy for you”?
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6. Do you get influenced by the allergen warning section of these products?
7. Do you think the food labels along with the ingredients of the sandwiches and related products
are useful for consumers?
8. Would you buy any sandwich or related products without their food label, in other words in
the absence of the ingredients section?
9. Do you believe it is totally necessary to have the allergens, expiry date/best before date printed
on the food label of these particular items?
10. Do you know how QUID information can be used?
11. How important is the mandatory labelling information?
a. Very Important
b. Important
c. Not important
12. How could food labeling in these food items can be improved?
a. Easily understandable information
b. Standing out of labels
c. The Larger size of the text.
c. Standardized presentation
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Appendix 2
List of resources required for conducting this survey:
1. Photocopying facility- so as to copy these questionnaires
2. Food
3. Stamps
4. Envelopes and
5. Stationery
Timetable
Task start
date
end
date
Duration(i
n days)
Formulation of the
Questionnaire and distribution
of sample
2
Testing the reliability of our
questionnaire
3
Collection of data 15
Writing the introduction 8
Literature review 8
Data analysis 2
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Results and conclusion 3
Final editing 2
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References
Block, J.P., Condon, S.K., Kleinman, K., Mullen, J., Linakis, S., Rifas-Shiman, S. and Gillman,
M.W., 2013. Consumers’ estimation of calorie content at fast food restaurants: cross sectional
observational study.
Elbel, B., Mijanovich, T., Dixon, L.B., Abrams, C., Weitzman, B., Kersh, R., Auchincloss, A.H.
and Ogedegbe, G., 2013. Calorie labeling, fast food purchasing and restaurant
visits. Obesity, 21(11), pp.2172-2179.
Fernandes, A.C., Oliveira, R.C., Proença, R.P., Curioni, C.C., Rodrigues, V.M. and Fiates, G.M.,
2016. Influence of menu labeling on food choices in real-life settings: a systematic
review. Nutrition Reviews, 74(8), pp.534-548.
Freeman, A., 2015. Transparency for Food Consumers Nutrition Labeling and Food
Oppression. American journal of law & medicine, 41(2-3), pp.315-330.
Hobin, E., Lillico, H., Zuo, F., Sacco, J., Rosella, L. and 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, pp.582-590.
Kerr, D., Williams, E. and Sargent, A., 2016. Cash Dieting–calories per dollar: a novel approach
to inform food choices?. Nutrition.
Kiszko, K.M., Martinez, O.D., Abrams, C. and Elbel, B., 2014. The influence of calorie labeling
on food orders and consumption: a review of the literature.Journal of community health, 39(6),
pp.1248-1269.
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