The Impact of Nutrition Labelling on Customer Buying Intention and Behaviours in Fast Food Operations: Some Implications for Public Health

Abstract

This research examines customers’ intention to buy depending on their use of nutrition labelling (NL) in fast food operations (FFOs) and their intention to visit and recommend these FFOs with nutrition-labelled menus. The research model draws on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to examine customers’ intentions to buy from nutrition-labelled menus and their behaviour of visiting and recommending to others FFOs with nutrition-labelled menus. To achieve this purpose, a self-administrated questionnaire was distributed to and collected from a random sample of customers at FFOs in Greater Cairo, Egypt, i.e., McDonald’s and Subway. The results from the structural equation modelling (SEM) using AMOS software indicated positive and direct significant paths from the constructs of the TPB, except for customers’ attitude, to customer intention to buy nutrition-labelled menu items. The results also showed a positive significant impact of customers’ intention on their behaviour of visiting and recommending FFOs featuring nutrition-labelled menus. The findings showed that there is an awaking of nutritional awareness among fast-food customers and that providing nutritional information on fast-food menus will affect their purchasing intention in the future by encouraging them to make healthy food choices. Theoretical implications for scholars and managerial implications for FFOs, especially in relation to public health in general and healthy food choices in particular, are explained and discussed.