The Consumers’ Perception of Artificial Food Additives

KULLIYYAH OF ECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT SCIENCES
COURSE TITLE:
Principles of Microeconomics
COURSE CODE:
ECON 1510 SEC 8
TITLE:
The Consumers’ Perception of Artificial Food Additives
Group members:
No. Name Matric No.
1. Umar Firdaus bin Mohd Razif 1710933
2. Nasmira Sazwani Binti Nasrudin 1719416
3. Shah Nur Aryana Binti Shah Jahan 1713322
4. Ain Atiya Azmi Binti Nazmi 1710222
5. Nur Nasriah Binti Nazlan 1718006
6. Nur Azlinda Binti Azman 1718142
Lecturer’s name: MOHAMED ASMY BIN MOHD THAS THAKER
Date Submitted: 12 DECEMBER 2017

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TABLE OF CONTENT
TITLE PAGE
COVER PAGE 1
TABLE OF CONTENT 2
INTRODUCTION 3-4
RESEARCH FINDINGS
● PART A
● PART B
5-48
CONCLUSION 49-50

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INTRODUCTION
Artificial food additives can be defined as chemically-synthesised substances added
to food for the purposes of : adding or restoring colour to foods (colourants), slowing
or preventing the oxidative deterioration of foods (antioxidants), improving the flavour
of food (enhancers/sweeteners), preventing food from spoiling (preservatives),
preventing ingredients from separating (emulsifiers) etc.
In the upsurge of recent health-conscious movement, the usage of artificial food
additives has been speculated to be dangerous. There are clinical evidences that
suggested its link to various health issues.
Therefore, the purpose of this survey is highlighted:
- To investigate the consumer’s level of awareness of natural and processed
foods
- To understand consumers’ consumption patterns on artificial additives
- To determine consumers’ level of concern on health issues regarding
artificial additives
- To find out consumers’ reliance on food regulatory standards
- To come up with suggestions on how to improve this situation to maximise
welfare to society

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250 respondents have participated in this survey on consumers’ perception of
artificial food additives.The survey questionnaire is divided into two parts which are
Part A and Part B. Part A is about demographic information which consists of
gender, age, marital status, educational level, occupation, number of family
members, monthly income and religion. For Part B, there are 30 questions
concerning the artificial food additives with each of them are given five choices which
are strongly disagree, disagree, neutral, agree and strongly agree. The data from the
survey are presented by bar charts, and for each of the questions, the cross-
tabulation table is done between the question with age, educational level and
monthly income respectively. The purpose of doing the cross-tabulation is to observe
any correlation between the answers given by the respondents and the age,
educational level and salary of the respondents.
For cross-tabulation, the age is categorised into young (21-30 years old), middle (31-
40 years old) and old (41-50 and above 50 years old), educational level is
categorised into low level (no educational level), middle level (SPM and Diploma)
and high level (Degree and Master/PhD), and salary is categorised into low level
(≤RM 1,000 and RM 1,001-RM 2,000), middle level (RM 2,001-RM 3,000 and RM
3,001-RM 4,000) and high level (RM 4,001-RM 5,000 and >RM 5,000). The scale of
agreement is also categorised into three category which are disagree (strongly
disagree and disagree), neutral and agree (agree and strongly agree).
RESEARCH FINDINGS

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Part A :
This pie chart represents the gender of the respondents who participates in
answering the questionnaire. From this data, we can see that out of 250, 152 of the
respondents (60.8%) are female and 98 are male respondents (39.2%).
This pie chart shows the overall age of the respondents. The respondents are
divided into four different age group which are 20-30 years old, 31-40 years old, 41-
50 years old, and above 50 years old. We can see that the majority of the

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respondents (228 respondents) are in the 20-30 years old group and the minority
age group, with only 1.6% (4 respondents) is constituted by the above 50 years old
group.
This pie chart shows the marital status of the 250 respondents. Out of 250
respondents, 165 (66%) are single, 84 (33.6%) of them are married and 1 (0.4%) is
divorced.
The pie chart above represents respondents' educational level. The educational
levels are divided into No Education, Secondary level, Diploma, Degree, and

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Postgraduate level. Majority of the respondents (143 out of 250) are in degree level
(57.2%), followed by 53 of them have diplomas (21.2%), 34 of the respondents
(13.6%) have the secondary educational level. Only 19 of the respondents (7.6%)
are postgraduates, and having no education level is only comprises of 1 respondent.
This pie chart shows the occupations of the respondents. They are categorised as
Public Sector, Private Sector, Self Employed, Housewives, Retired, and
Students. Majority of the respondents taking part in the questionnaire are students,
followed by 24% of them who are in private sector and 22.4% are working in public
sector. There are only 8 out of the 250 respondents who are retired, which makes
them the minority of the group.

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The pie chart above shows the numbers of family members of the respondents. They
are divided into 5 categories, which are having only one, two, three, four, or more
than four family members. Majority of the respondents (133 out of 250) have more
than four family members in the family. The minority in this group is having only 1
family member which is 2.4% (6 respondents).
The chart above represents the monthly income of the respondents. The
respondents are divided into 6 different group, either in the RM1000 and below,
RM1001 to RM2000, RM2001 to RM3000, RM3001 to RM4000, RM4001 to
RM5000, or earning above RM5000 a month. The majority in this group is having
RM1000 and below, this might be because of the fact that the majority of the
respondents are students, their monthly income are based on what they received

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from loans, scholarships or from their guardians. Respondents who earns above
RM5000 are only 3.6%, which makes them the minority in this grouping.
The pie chart above shows the religions of the respondents who took part in
answering the questionnaire. The different categories in this are Islam, Christian,
Buddhist, Hindu and Others. The majority of the respondents are Muslims, followed
by Christians (8 respondents), Buddhist (4 respondents) and Hindu (2 respondents).
None of the 250 respondents were of the different religions as of those 4 religions.
Part B :
Q1: I have more important things to do than worry about artificial colours and
sweeteners.

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Age Educational level Salary
The bar graph is showing that most of respondents are neutral or harmless
regarding this statement. Probably they rarely think about this matter.
Pertaining to the cross tabulation, all of the age generations disagree on this
statement. Probably because most of them regardless of age are concerned about
the artificial colours and sweeteners in their foods.
Besides, in the educational level, we can see that respondents in the higher level of
education answering disagree. It means that the more educated the person is, the
higher the awareness of artificial colours and sweeteners in the foods.
Lastly, we can see from the table that more respondents in all level of monthly
income are answering disagree rather than answering agree. It proves that mostly

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people are worried about artificial colours in their foods. It is because day by day, we
heard the news about many kinds of diseases arise from the food that we eat daily.
However, there are a few respondents who agreed on the statements which means,
they do not worry about the artificial colours and sweeteners. In our opinion, the
media should give more exposure about the negative effects of artificial colours and
sweeteners through ads in social media such as Facebook and YouTube since we
are in technologies era. So, everything is on the tips of fingers.
Q2: It does not bother me if my foods contain artificial colours/ sweeteners.
The bar graph is showing that most of the respondents disagree about this
statement. Yet, there are respondents who agree that they do not bother if their
foods contain artificial colours and sweeteners.

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The table shows all of the ages answering disagree. It means, they are concerned
about the ingredients of the foods. It is because people nowadays have more health
conscious since there are so many dangerous illness. So, prevention is better than
cure.
Then, the educational level part, the middle and higher level of education
respondents disagree compared to only a few respondents who agree on this
statement. In our opinion, we have to have the self-consciousness because we are
responsible for our own health. It is impossible to not take the artificial colours and
sweeteners at all, but probably we can reduce the consumption of it.
Next, the respondents of the lower monthly income have mostly disagree on this. It
shows that the artificial colours really are a concern. Probably, they have knowledge
about the bad effect of artificial colours and sweeteners to our body such as
headache, obesity and diabetes.
Q3: I can accept that certain foods contain artificial colours and sweeteners.

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The bar graph shows most of respondents agree on this statement. The least of
respondents is in strongly disagree and disagree part which is amounted 59
respondents. It proves that there are some people who do not accept the artificial
colours and sweeteners at all. It also proves that some people are actually fully
aware on the risks of usage artificial colours and sweeteners in foods.
Majority of the young respondents agreed on the statement. Probably, they can
accept certain foods contain artificial colours and sweeteners because there is no
other ways to avoid from taking it at all. In my opinion, the Government should do
something about the regulations of using artificial colours and sweeteners for all of
the food manufacturers.
The respondents in all of the educational level agree about this. It is probably
because of the difficulties in finding the natural foods that do not contain the artificial
colours and sweeteners at all. In Malaysia, there is still lack of exposure pertaining
the negative effect of the artificial colours even it may be disrupt the healthy growth
of the child. The last part is the monthly income for the respondents. I can conclude
that most of them do not bother if certain foods contain the artificial colours and
sweeteners.
Q4: I think it is unimportant to check on the packaging whether a food contains
artificial colours and sweeteners.

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The graph is showing most of the respondents are disagree about this statement
and least of respondents are strongly agree. The minority agreed on this statement
probably because they are not interested in knowing the ingredients and not even
care about it.
All ages of respondents mostly disagreed about this matter. This is where the
manufacturers should not take granted for not providing the information about the
ingredients in the foods. The government also should ban the usage of artificial
colours and sweeteners just like the other countries such as Australia, Austria and
Denmark.

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Besides that, the table shows the respondent on the lower educational level agree
on this statement whereby it is not good for having this kind of habit. It probably
because they may not be aware of the potential hazards of some of these additives
for their health. The respondents in all level of income are concerned about the
importance of checking the labels on the packaging whether the foods contain
artificial colours and sweeteners. It is as important as checking the expiry date of the
foods.
Q5: Artificial colours and sweeteners cannot be harmful otherwise they would
not be contained in so many foods.

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The bar graph shows most of respondents is neutral about this statement probably
because commercial food is all colourful. So it is very difficult to determine the dose
of the artificial colours and sweeteners contained in the foods. So it is affecting the
consumers to think that it may or may not be harmful for our health.
The table shows that most of the young respondents disagree while majority of the
middle aged respondents agree. In our opinion, the media should expose the
importance of eating healthy food because mostly people in the middle age are
parents. If they have lack of consciousness about the artificial colours and
sweeteners, most probably they will let their children to eat the unhealthy foods
containing artificial colours and sweeteners which can cause the children to
experience health problems including eczema and attention deficit disorder.
Majority of the respondents in higher educational level disagree with this statement.
Yet, there are still some people who agree on this. As far as we are concerned, there
is a lack of advertisement on TV about the healthy eating habits pertaining to the
food pyramid. Probably, if that kind of advertisements is exposed on TV, it could
increase the individual awareness about consuming healthy food.
Last but not least, the majority of the respondents in high monthly income neither
disagree nor agree. Majority of them are neutral with this statement. We should

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have more awareness about the ingredients of the foods to make sure we eat the
nutritious food.
Q6: People give too much thought to artificial colours/sweeteners.
Majority of the respondents (97 out of 250 respondents) are being neutral with this
statement. It may be due to people being impersonal regarding this matter. We can
say that people are not prone to allocate their times into thinking about artificial
colours/sweeteners in foods. But honestly, people should take into account about
artificial colours/sweeteners in the foods as it is related to their health.
Majority of the middle aged and old aged respondents agree with this statement. For
some reasons, it may result from little awareness in their selves as we view the issue

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of artificial colours/sweeteners as an important aspect in a person’s health. Majority
of the young respondents are being neutral with this statement which is the biggest
contributors to the highest number of respondents that answered neutral for this
statement.
Next, majority of respondents with high educational level agree with this statement,
and those from middle educational level category mostly are being neutral about this
statement. We believe that having some thoughts regarding artificial
colours/sweeteners are not at all in vain as it is an act of concerning on health
matter. Remember, we are what we eat.
Q7: I think that certain artificial colours/sweeteners are harmful to health.

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From the above graph, we can see that the number of respondents increases from
being strongly disagree to disagree to neutral and to agree, and decline for strongly
agree in answering this question. It is clearly seen that 102 respondents which make
up the majority of the respondents agree with this statement. This profoundly shows
that the respondents have the awareness about the disadvantages or harmfulness of
certain artificial colours/sweeteners.
All category of ages of respondents, whether young, middle or old have the majority
that agree with this statement. The respondents that have low or middle or high
educational level, have the majority that agree with this statement. And, all category
of monthly income, whether low, middle or high also have the majority of answering
agree to this statement. This clearly illustrates that the awareness among the
respondents about this issue regardless of ages, educational level or amount of
monthly income they earned, is very encouraging.
Q8: I am worried about effects artificial colours/sweeteners could have on
my body.

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The trend of the chart for this statement is the same as the previous statement (Q7).
The number of respondents increases from strongly disagree up to agree with 110
respondents answering agree concerning this statement, which also makes up the
majority. There are quite a high number of respondents that strongly agree with this
statement indicating as such that they are really concern about their body and
health.
educational level, have the majority that agree with this statement. And, all category
of monthly income, whether low, middle or high also have the majority of answering
agree to this statement. This shows that the respondents regardless of ages,
educational level or amount of monthly income they earned, have the knowledge and
awareness about the effects of artificial colours/sweeteners that are contained in
food if the consumption of it is not at a low level.
It is the responsibility of every individual to gain knowledge and to care about what
they consume daily in order to live a healthy life, and so prolong the life span.
Q9: I think that certain artificial colours/sweeteners are unhealthy.

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For this statement, again, the trend of the graph is the same as the two previous
questions (Q7 and Q8). The number of respondents increases from strongly
disagree up to agree with 115 respondents answering agree concerning this
statement, which makes up the majority. There are 86 respondents that strongly
agreed with this statement. Thus, we can say that most of the respondents have the
knowledge that certain artificial colours/sweeteners are unhealthy for their health.
educational level, are the majority that agree with this statement. And, all category of

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monthly income, whether low, middle or high also are the majority of answering
agree to this statement. Yet, there are people who disagree with this statement even
though the number is very small compared to those that agree and strongly agree.
There are steps that can be taken to inculcate more knowledge about artificial
colours/sweeteners among individuals that make up a society, for example the
advertisements through mass communication media about the pros and cons of
having artificial colours/sweeteners in foods, providing knowledge to students in
early age of their schools’ life so that they grow up knowing about this matter and
adhere to what is good for them, and so on.
Q10: When I think of artificial colours/sweeteners I get an uneasy feeling.
The above chart shows the number of respondents increases from strongly disagree
to neutral and decreases from neutral to strongly agree. 98 respondents are being

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neutral with this statement which makes up the majority group for this statement.
Many of the respondents also agree with this statement. There are also those who
disagree with this statement.
As majority of respondents are neutral about this statement, we believe that they
don’t really have uneasy feeling as they think about artificial colours/sweeteners is
because they rarely think about this matter, whether it is about the benefits or the
disadvantages of these artificial additives.
From the table, we can see that there is only a very slight difference in number of
respondents between those that are neutral and agree from young category of ages.
Hence, we can say that many of the youngsters do think about this matter.
The respondents that have high educational level, majority agree with this statement.
Same goes to those with high monthly income, the majority of them also agree with
this statement. This is maybe due to the knowledge that they have about artificial
colours/sweeteners.
Q11: I believe that artificial colours/sweeteners are a risk for human health.

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Most of the respondent agreed that artificial colours/sweeteners are risk for their
health. Majority of the answers come from young people. Most of the young people
are aware with their health because they believe everything that has artificial
colours/sweeteners can bring serious disease such as diabetes, high blood
pressure, obesity and so on. So that’s why they agreed with this statement. Plus,
most of them are from high education. They prefer to take only nutritious food for
their body such as fruits and vegetables and they also need to focus on their studies.
Food which contains artificial colours/sweeteners can harm their health and make
them worse in their study. Moreover, they only have low salary, so they have to
make a right choice to choose the food that can bring more benefits than harm to
their body. Therefore, they have to avoid it before something bad might happen to
them. As a suggestion, the government should introduce programmes that are

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related to harmful artificial colours/sweeteners to society so it can many prevent
people from taking foods that contains artificial colours/sweeteners.
Q12: I think that artificial colours/sweeteners are completely safe for health.
Many people buy diet drinks and sweeteners in a bid to reduce the amount of sugar
they consumers. But in this survey 97 out of the 250 respondents disagreed that
artificial colours/sweeteners are completely safe for health. Most of the respondents
that answered disagree come from young people with high education and low salary.
Only a few people from middle age and an old agreed with question. Maybe they
think that the artificial colours are sometimes safe for the health. So, it means that
young people nowadays are really concerned about their health life. For young
people with high education, they tend to disagree. It is due to the technology today
that plays a big role to disperse articles and advertisements on social media such as

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Facebook, Instagram and Twitter about the harmful chemicals in artificial colours that
can lead to fatalities.
Q13: Artificial colours/sweeteners bring about many benefits for the
consumers.

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Majority of the respondents neither disagreed nor agreed about the artificial
colours/sweeteners can bring many benefits for the consumers. Many of them are
neutral to this question because sometimes, that their intestines get confused when
they eat zero calories but super sweet artificial sweeteners. Most of the answers
come from young people with high educational and low salary. Maybe they are
stressed enough from doing many assignments. So that’s why they said artificial
colours/sweeteners are beneficial to them. For example, sweeteners such as
chocolate, it can help someone to release their tension and stress from working and
doing assignments. But, they have to consume it in a small amounts only. However,
if they consume it in a large amount, it can cause other serious effect to their body
and also cause tooth decay. Artificial sweeteners, even natural ones like stevia,
which comes from a herb, are hundreds, sometimes thousands, of times sweeter
than sugar. And even the evidence suggests that exposing our taste buds to these
high-intensity sweeteners makes them less receptive to natural sources of sweets
such as fruits.
Q14: The benefits from the use of artificial colours/sweeteners in food are
overrated.

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Only 67 respondents disagreed and 74 agreed with this statement. That means most
of the respondents are totally in dilemma (neutral) to make sure whether the
benefits from the use of artificial colours/sweeteners in food are overrated or not. It
might be the use of artificial colours/sweeteners will make the food look very tasty
and delicious to eat. If they don’t use it, maybe their food will be tasteless and they
will enjoy it less. Artificial sweeteners are meant to be hearty because they're
designed to withstand the harsh conditions of our body so they won't break down
and add calories and they're so potent, they don't break down in the environment,
when exposed to light, oxygen and microbes, either. However, using too much
artificial colours/sweeteners in our daily food can increase the risks of diabetes. So,
to avoid this case from happening, the government should limit the food containing
artificial colours/sweeteners in market so that the public will not buy and eat too
much these food.
Q15: The use of artificial colours/ sweeteners bring benefits for me personally.

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Majority of respondents have disagreed that artificial colours/ sweeteners benefit
them personally. There is a widespread awareness among young people about the
dangers of additives. Moreover, the more highly educated they are, the greater the
information they receive about the health issues of their food. Furthermore, low-
salary people are also the most conscientious about the food they pick.
In this era of rapid telecommunication, it can be deduced that news travel fast. The
fact that artificial colours and sweeteners are made from harmful chemical
ingredients has surely reached the knowledge of consumers as they switch on the
television and flip through the newspapers. These substances not only can cause
allergies, they can also be fatal. Overall, the consumers agree that these do not
benefit but instead bring them hazards. As for the minority of respondents who
agreed to this matter, this is due to information asymmetry. Thus, the Ministry of

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Health can correct this by introducing suitable campaigns to increase sensitivity and
awareness.
Q16: Foods would be less attractive, if they were re-dyed with artificial colours/
sweeteners.

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Majority of respondents have agreed that food will be less attractive if re-dyed with
artificial colours or sweeteners. Most of the positive answers come from the young
people with a high education level and earning a low salary. This is an affirmative
outlook as young people are the pillars of the future nation and if they seem to be
distasteful towards artificial colouring, this shows their high mentality towards health.
As an alternative for artificial additives, we have natural sweeteners such as sugar
and honey. They have higher antioxidant levels which can enhance their aroma,
taste and sensation. This is probably why respondents opted that artificial
sweeteners are less attractive. As for the minority of them who disagreed, they are
possibly sweet-averse people who preferred artificial sugar such as the Stevia sugar
which has less calorie and suitable for diabetic patients.
Q17: Artificial colours make foods look more appetising.
Majority of respondents have agreed that artificial colours make foods look more
appetising. Regardless of their age, education level and salary, most of them opined

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that the usage of chemical substances as food dye will make them more
aesthetically pleasing. Undeniably, artificial colours are more vibrant and eye-
catching which is why they are commonly used to make fast food, junk food, and
desserts. These substances make the so-called food look “pretty” and thus appeal to
all ages. However, it is noted with regret that artificial food colourings are only
“pretty” on the outside but actually contain “ugly” carcinogens which can wreak
havoc inside our bodies and are linked to cancer. Most people don’t read food labels
and don’t know what they should look out for. Therefore, the government must be
proactive in regulating the amount of synthetic colourings allowed in food so that
they don’t reach dangerous levels which can be detrimental to consumers in the long
run.
Q18: Food should be pleasing to the eye, this is why artificial colours are
necessary.

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Majority of respondents have agreed that artificial colouring is necessary because
food should be pleasing to the eye. The second highly chosen answer is neutral.
This question is closely related to previous question (Q17). Artificial colouring is a
strong ingredient used to commercialise food in order to make it look better
compared to competitors in the same industry. Visual is a key tool in marketability
thus it is important for foods to appear delicious so the consumers would be coaxed
to buy them. Young people, especially, are inclined to buy brightly coloured foods as
opposed to foods that appeared bland and mundane.
As a substitute to artificial colours, consumers should utilise natural food colours
which are extracted from fruits and vegetables. For example, chlorophyll can be
used to produce a green colour and cinnamon or cocoa powder to make a brown
colour. Colours derived from natural substances are more pastel compared to the
commercially produced dyes however they will taste a lot better and won’t cost their
health.
Q19: Artificial sweeteners allow for a reduction of unnecessary calories.
Age Educational Level Salary

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The graph shows that the most of the respondents answered neutral meanwhile, the
least of them are strongly disagree with the statement which amounted only 19
respondents.
The table shows the respondents in middle agreed with the statement. It means
they probably know more about the artificial sweeteners. In our opinion, it is good
since mostly people in middle ages are parents. So if they have knowledge about
artificial sweeteners, they can control their children from over-taking it.
Besides that, majority of both middle and high educational level answering neutral. In
our opinion, the media should play their role in enhancing people to get more
understanding of the artificial sweeteners.
Last but not least, respondents in low and middle monthly income agreed with the
statement. Meanwhile, the respondents with high monthly income answered neutral.
In our opinion, there are still some of us who are not clear about the benefits and bad
impacts of the artificial sweeteners. So, we have to encourage ourselves to take note
about it to make sure we know what we eat whether the foods we consumed is good
or bad for our own health. Once we have the knowledge about it, we ourselves can
decide and choose what is essential for our health.

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Q20: If artificial sweeteners did not exist, many diet products could not be
produced.
The bar graph shows majority of the respondents are neutral with this statement.
Meanwhile, the least one is in the 'strongly disagree' part which amounted only 19
respondents. Hence, we believe most of the respondents already have knowledge
about diet products.
The table shows the majority of the young respondents answering neutral.
Meanwhile, the majority of middle and old aged respondents agreed with the

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statement. This is because, most products that contain artificial sweeteners are
usually labeled as ‘diet products’ but in fact, not all are. So it can be said that the
young generation still need to gain more knowledge about the diet products. The
older you are, the more experience and knowledge that you get.
Besides that, in the educational level part, both middle and high educational level got
majority answer for neutral. It is probably because they are not sure about the
artificial sweeteners in diet products.
Next, the respondents with middle level of monthly income has the majority
answering neutral because it is too easy to find products with artificial sweeteners. In
our opinion, the producers themselves need to reduce the usage of artificial
sweeteners in diet products since it will be bought by the customers who really need
the 'pure' diet products.

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Q21: Artificial sweeteners allow for indulgence without regret.
Majority of respondents stated that they are neutral that artificial sweeteners allow
for indulgence without regret. Most of these answers come from young people, those
with high-educational level and those who earn middle-level salary. Young people
are mostly those with the highest impulse to consume sweet foods such as cakes,
ice-creams and soda and since artificial sweeteners have no real calorie, it will be a
bonus point for them to satisfy their sweet tooth without gaining weight. However,
those with high education must already be informed that although artificial
sweeteners will not spike the sugar level in their blood, it can create other
complications. Consuming food with artificial sweeteners is addictive thus people will
be inclined to eat more sweet foods. Those with middle salary are probably well-
aware of that although artificial sweeteners are a cheaper substitute for sugar, it

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contains no real nutritional value. Thus, that is why most people are neutral about
this aspect. They acknowledges their indulgence on sweet foods however they are
potentially cautious about the risks of artificial sweets.
Q22: I think that you can trust the regulators.
Majority of people stated neutral as their answer when asked whether or not they
can trust the regulators. Most of these answers come from young people, those with
high-educational level, and people earning a low salary. Young people have mostly
kept up with the recent news of food fraud whereas as food passed down the supply
chain, there might be exploitation of ingredients and the food prescribed on the
labels may not match the real content. The controversy over pork DNA found in
Cadbury chocolate, for example, may cause them to be wary about the food despite
the Halal certificate given by the food regulator to the manufacturer. Moreover, those

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with a high educational level are already aware of the standards set in place by the
government, such as the Food Regulations 1985. One of the principles is that
addition of food additives to foods should comply with standards prescribed under
the food regulation with permitted food scope and maximum using levels. Low-salary
earners are the groups that prefer food additives as they are cheaper than buying a
100% organic produce. Thus, all of these categories of people acknowledge that the
government sets strict standards to manufacturers and supervision is consistently
done but they’re also sceptical about its effectiveness due to the recent
controversies in the food industry.
Q23: I trust the regulators in relation to the licensing and control of artificial
colours/ sweeteners in food.

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144 out of 250 respondents agreed that they trust the regulators in relation to the
licensing and control of artificial colours/sweeteners in foods which makes the
majority of them very confident and not worry too much about the procedures. They
also come from those whose education background is high. With the knowledge that
they had, they know and aware that the people in charge which come from those
who are experts in this field will absolutely do their work correctly. They put their trust
to the regulators without any doubt. Not to forget, there are also 25 respondents that
did not really trust the regulators and 20 of them comes from the youngsters. This is
basically might be because they still have doubt whether or not the regulators do
their job perfectly.
Q24: I trust the regulators to make sure every necessary step is taken to
protect consumers’ health.

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Majority of the respondents also agreed that they trust the regulators to make sure
every necessary step is taken to protect consumers’ health.
The regulators were given the responsibility to make sure that they really do their job
according to the job requirement since they are the one who are dealing with the
food first before the products or foods to be sold to the consumers. This means,
once the foods are approved and ready to be sold, the foods are completely safe
and do not bring harm to each and everyone who takes it. So regulators must do
their parts and consumers also need to do their part to do some research first if there
are any confusion or uncertainty in order to be a good consumer. By doing that, we
know our responsibility as a consumer and not just put the blame to the authorities
when something bad happened.

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Q25: I feel good when I eat natural foods.
Most of the respondents strongly agreed that they feel good when eating natural
foods. As health are more than wealth, a strong and a healthy body leads to a
happier life. So, for sure most of the respondents will feel good whenever they eat
natural foods as anything that natural are always good for us. Meals that are high in
sugar for instance, bring out immediate sleepiness and bloated feeling that will make
us feel to go to sleep right after eating that kind of foods. By switching to healthy food
choices, you will have all the energy needed and feel more fresh compared to when
you take not really natural foods such as foods that have already been added with
artificial colours and sweeteners.

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Q26: I pay attention during grocery shopping to ensure that the foods are as
natural as possible.
Majority of the respondents are neutral, and many of them also agreed that they are
really paying attention during grocery shopping to ensure that the foods are as
natural as possible. Those who are agreed basically come from the ones who have
higher educational level. Individuals that are educated and knowledgeable especially
about healthy eating are more likely to opt for healthy foods in order to apply their
knowledge. That is why they prefer to choose well when do some grocery shopping
because they are aware of the effect and consequences from choosing the bad
ones.
Q27: Natural foods taste better than other foods.

44
Most of the respondents strongly agreed that natural foods taste better than other
foods. Basically, those who are agreed mostly come from those who have highest
level of education. Those who have highest education level usually know that natural
foods contain lots of good substances compared to other foods especially chemical
foods. That is why they choose natural foods than other foods because they want to
prevent disease and unhealthy habits. The more educated they are, they will be
more aware about choosing foods.
Q28: The more natural the products are, the higher the quality of nutrients and
vitamins.

45
Most of the respondents strongly agreed that the more natural the products are, the
higher the quality of nutrients and vitamins. The most who agreed basically comes
from those who have the highest educational level. The knowledgeable people
usually know that natural foods contains higher quality of vitamins and nutrients.
They can differentiate what is the good foods and what is not. That is one of the
reason why they all agreed that natural foods contains higher of quality of nutrients
and vitamins.

46
Q29: Natural foods are better for my health.
Most of the respondents are strongly agreed that natural foods are better for my
health. Basically, the ones who agreed are those who have highest educational
level. They know that natural foods is good for health because they are
knowledgeable and has better knowledge than those who has lower of educational
level. Besides, they do lots of research in their studies and maybe from there they
got to know why natural foods is lot of better for health. That is why they agree with
the statement saying natural foods are better for their health.
Q30: I gladly pay for higher price for natural foods.

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Most of the respondents strongly agreed that they will gladly pay higher price for
the natural foods. Most of those who agreed are coming from youngsters, and those
who have high educational level and those who have low-level of monthly income.
Basically, people who have low salary will not pay much for foods but somehow they
do realise that natural foods contain lots of good substances and nutrients so they
are willing to pay higher price even though they do not earn high income per month.
For educational level, we can see that those who have high educational level are the
most who are agreed to pay high for the price of natural foods because basically
they are more educated and well-acknowledge about benefits of natural foods which
becomes one of the reasons why they agreed to pay higher price for natural foods.
CONCLUSION

48
After analysing the answers from 250 respondents, we have accomplished the
purposes as stated at the beginning of our survey.
- Consumers have a high level of awareness regarding natural and
processed foods. It bothers them if their food contains artificial additives and
they find it important to check on the packaging whether a food contains
artificial additives. They also acknowledge that natural foods contain a high
quality of nutrients and are willing to pay a higher price for natural foods.
- Consumers have a high consumption pattern for foods containing
artificial additives. They appropriate artificial colours to a more appetising
look and thus are necessary since foods should be eye-pleasing. They are
also unbiased that artificial additives allow for reduction in calories and
encourage indulgence without regret.
- Consumers have a high level of concern on health issues regarding
artificial additives. They are anxious about the effects of artificial additives to
their bodies and believe that they are a risk to human health.
- Consumers have a high level of reliance on food regulatory
standards.They trust that the regulators have taken every caution to protect
consumers’ health.
To further improve this situation, we would like to come up with our suggestions:

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1) The government should subsidize organic foods so that the consumers will be
more likely to substitute canned and artificial foods for them. This is because
although awareness about the dangers of additives is high, some people still
lack the income to buy more expensive organic products. By lowering their
price, the demand for them will increase which will be more meritable for the
society.
2) The food regulators must not take consumers’ trust for granted and must
regularly supervise the manufacturing of food even after the issuance of
standard-compliance certificates. This is to prevent exploitation or food fraud
from occurring which can severely impact consumers’ confidence in the
regulators.
To sum up, foods containing artificial additives are demerit goods as they can impair
consumers’ health in the long run. Therefore, we hope that necessary steps are
taken from all levels of society; individuals, firms, society and government. This
market failure needs to be corrected so that we can enjoy optimal allocation of
scarce resources that can maximise welfare to our society.

The Consumers’ Perception of Artificial Food Additives

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The Consumers’ Perception of Artificial Food Additives