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Posits that food labelling is one medium by which consumers can acquire knowledge about the food they consider buying. This type of information is becoming increasingly important in a food market where direct contact with the personnel over the counter is declining. Reports the results from a pilot study and a consumer survey including 1050 respondents. Reveals that the majority of consumers read the food labels (often, sometimes or seldom), and that the reading frequency was associated with the degree of uncertainty about the food supply. Additives occupied a far more prominent place in these reading activities, than what could be expected from the respondents’ general notions of what constitutes a healthy diet. Discusses these results with regard to consumer apprehension of the presentation of data on the food labels.

Reports from different countries have revealed that consumers are becoming increasingly concerned that the food they eat could be harmful to health. The concern regards both the composition of the diet and the possibilities that the food may contain a number of contaminating substances. Discusses the results from some recent empirical studies in the light of the more theoretical work in this area of research. The aim is to bring out some salient features which may be important to those who communicate with the public about food‐related risks, as well as for further research in this field.