May 29/Tuscaloosa, Ala../USAgNet -- Women check and use food label components more often and thoroughly than men, according to a recent study from the University of Alabama and published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and featured in the May issue of Food Nutrition & Science.

The study, which looked at a sample of 573 males and 809 females aged 19-70 years, found women use the Nutrition Facts label, health claims, ingredient lists and serving sizes more frequently than men when making decisions about food products.

However, both men and women who were 51-70 years of age had significantly higher rates of checking the labels and then using them -- compared with younger participants in the study.

"This isn't a huge surprise," says Phil Lempert, founder of Food Nutrition & Science and CEO of The Lempert Report. "But this reinforces that manufacturers and retailers should make labels, advertising and merchandising clear, concise and easy to read so that people can make informed decisions."

The study also showed that race was a significant predictor of label use for men. Specifically, Hispanic men checked the labels more frequently than Caucasian men.