Facts and Views on Nordic Consumer Policy

Abstract: The key element in consumer policy is to create the best possible conditions for consumers: The best conditions with regard to consumer protection and rights, but also in relation to the opportunity for consumers to choose between an ever expanding range of alternatives on a transparent basis. There is a long tradition of creating good conditions for consumers in the Nordic countries. However, having a good baseline must not be used as an excuse for politicians, authorities or the business community to rest on their laurels. Good conditions for consumers benefit the individual consumer, but they also help ensure that Nordic businesses are highly competitive. These are characteristics and strengths we need to build on. If the best possible conditions are to be ensured, it is of course crucially important to know what conditions consumers actually regard as significant. It is important to focus on those areas that have the greatest impact on consumer satisfaction. It is important to be able to allocate priorities - but sensible allocation of priorities necessitates having knowledge based on facts. The purpose of the project was to make a start on the development of the Nordic model for consumer and customer satisfaction, as a step in the direction of consumer policy based on facts. It is hoped that more quantitative arguments can be brought into the debate on setting priorities with the model, and that it will become possible to monitor whether the initiatives that are launched actually have the anticipated effects

Product-related environmental information is an important policy instrument for a shift towards more sustainable consumption patterns, and such information helps consumers choose environmentally improved products. While ecolabeling has had a particularly strong breakthrough in Nordic markets, a number of other communication modes, such as environmental product declarations and producers' self-declared claims have been applied in both the consumer and business-to-business markets. This report comprises a summary of recent research on how Nordic consumers perceive, understand, and use product-related environmental information. A comprehensive literature review supplemented with expert interviews forms the foundation for this work. The report highlights well-researched areas and proposes areas where deeper knowledge and understanding is required. The research was conducted cooperatively between the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics (IIIEE) at Lund University in Sweden; the National Consumer Research Centre in Finland; and Environice in Iceland with the purpose to obtain and present a comprehensive picture of the situation in the Nordic countries.

This report summarizes the final results of a quantitative study on Nordic consumers' attitudes to food labelling. The study was conducted in the five Nordic countries Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland. More than 1,000 interviews were conducted in each country. The results of this survey show that information about ingredients, nutritional contents, "best-before-date", and country of origin must be printed clearly on the food package. This is the "top-of-mind" information Nordic consumers want to see on food labels to be able to make a conscious choice when buying food. Furthermore, a majority of Nordic consumers welcome measures to facilitate for consumers to be able to take in information and increase the legibility of food packages. There is strong support for the introduction of a minimum print size and for obligatory labelling information always being laid out in the same format on the package. The purpose of the study was to collect updated information and knowledge on the needs and attitudes of Nordic consumers regarding food labelling. The study aims to contribute with information, knowledge and facts in preparation for the upcoming European Union revision of the food labelling rules