Certification and labelling of dairy food products: An assessment of consumer awareness and purchase behaviour in Nagpur city

Introduction

Food choices in Maharashtra have changed considerably over the last decade as consumers have become more aware of health, food safety and product quality. In urban centres such as Nagpur, located at the geographical centre of India in the Vidarbha region, is a rapidly urbanising commercial hub with a diverse population and a well-established organised and unorganised dairy retail market, making it a suitable location to study evolving consumer behaviour towards certified and labelled dairy products. Against this background, the present study was designed to examine the socio-economic profile of dairy consumers in Nagpur city, their purchase preferences, their understanding of certification and labelling, and the extent to which these factors influence their purchase decisions. Specifically, the study was undertaken with the following objectives: (i) to study the socio-economic characteristics of consumers; (ii) to study consumers' preference towards purchase of dairy products; (iii) to examine consumers' understanding of certification and labelling; and (iv) to identify the influence of food labels and certification on consumers' purchase decisions.

Methodology Area and period of study

The study was conducted in Nagpur city, Maharashtra, selected for its diverse population, well-established organised and unorganised dairy retail market, and rising consumer awareness of food safety and certification. Primary data were collected over the period December 2025 to June 2026.

Data collection

A total of 90 dairy product consumers were selected from different parts of Nagpur city using a stratified random sampling technique, with the population divided into three age-based strataup to 25 years, 26-50 years, and above 50 yearsof 30 respondents each. Within each stratum, respondents were further representative of variation in gender, education, income and occupation. Primary data were collected through personal interviews using a structured schedule covering respondents' socio-economic background, dairy purchase preferences, and their knowledge, understanding and use of certification and labelling information.

Analytical tools

The data were analysed using simple tabular and percentage analysis, with findings presented age-group-wise (up to 25, 26-50 and above 50 years) to facilitate comparison of behaviour across life-stage cohorts. Occupation-wise (Table 3), students dominated the youngest group (46.66%), while service was the leading occupation among the 26-50 (66.67%) and above-50 (66.67%) groups; homemakers were present only among the older two strata. Income distribution (Table 4) shows that the middle-income category of Rs 20,000-50,000 per month was the single largest group in the 26-50 (53.33%) and above-50 (36.66%) strata, while the youngest group was concentrated in the below Rs 20,000 (financially dependent) category (46.66%). Higher-income respondents (above Rs 1,00,000) appeared only among the two older groups.

Results and Discussion

Socio-economic characteristics of consumers

Overall, the socio-economic profile indicates a predominantly male, educated and service-employed consumer base with a middle-income orientationcharacteristics that the literature associates with relatively higher label-reading and certification awareness (Ali and Kapoor, 2009) [1] . Milk was the most regularly purchased dairy product across all age groups (Table 5), rising from 36.66 per cent among the youngest consumers to 70.00 per cent among those above 50 years, while paneer, yogurt and cheese were relatively more popular with younger consumers. Daily purchase was the dominant frequency in every stratum (Table 6), increasing with age from 70.00 per cent (up to 25 years) to 90.00 per cent (above 50 years), confirming that dairy items are treated as daily household essentials than occasional purchases. A clear age-related shift was observed in the type of outlet/source preferred (Table 7): younger consumers favoured branded products (63.33%), whereas the preference progressively shifted towards local milkmen among older consumers (46.66% in the above-50 group), possibly reflecting differences in trust, habit and price sensitivity. Among branded options (Table 8), Amul and Dinshaw's were the two leading brands in every age group, together accounting for 60-73 per cent of brand preference, while Mother Dairy and Gowardhan (Parag Milk Foods) trailed behind. Quality was rated the single most important purchase attribute in every age group (Table 9), chosen by 33-40 per cent of respondents, well ahead of price, taste, brand and expiry date; notably, certifications and health claims were cited by only 3-7 per cent of consumers as the primary purchase driver, indicating that certification does not yet function as a first-order purchase attribute for most consumers. A large majority of consumers reported always checking product information before purchase (Table 11), though this vigilance declined slightly with age, from 76.66 per cent (up to 25 years) to 63.33 per cent (above 50 years). FSSAI was overwhelmingly the most recognised certification across all age groups (Table 12), with 70-77 per cent awareness, far exceeding recognition of AGMARK (13-17%) and organic certification (7-13%). This confirms the dominant public visibility of FSSAI relative to other quality marks in the Indian dairy market. Awareness of a certification mark did not always translate into full comprehension of its meaning (Table 13). "Full" understanding declined steadily with age, from 63.33 per cent (up to 25 years) to 46.66 per cent (above 50 years), while partial understanding correspondingly increased, suggesting a generational gradient in certification literacy. Most consumers reported reading food labels while purchasing dairy products (Table 14), with 63-73 per cent doing so "always"; again, this proportion was marginally highest among younger consumers and lowest among the above-50 group. Importantly, when consumers did read labels, they primarily checked manufacturing and expiry dates (67-73%) rather than nutritional information (13-23%) or certification marks (10-13%) (Table 15). This indicates that label-reading behaviour in the study area is driven chiefly by basic freshness/safety concerns rather than by certification or nutritional literacy. Certification exerted a positive but uneven influence on purchase decisions (Table 16): 53-60 per cent of consumers up to 50 years reported that certification influenced their purchase, compared with only 40 per cent among those above 50 years, who were also more likely to say certification had no or only occasional influence. A majority of consumers in every age group agreed that labelling helps them choose better dairy products (63-73%), reaffirming the perceived practical value of label information even where certification literacy is limited (Table 19). Most strikingly, all 90 respondents (100%), without exception across all three age groups, agreed that misleading labels damage their trust in dairy products (Table 20), underscoring the critical importance consumers place on the truthfulness and transparency of label claims, irrespective of their level of certification literacy.

Consumer preference towards purchase of dairy products

Consumers' understanding of certification and labelling

Influence of food labels and certification on purchase decisions

Conclusion

The study examined the behaviour, preferences, awareness and understanding of 90 dairy product consumers in Nagpur city towards certification and labelling. The socio-economic profile was dominated by male, educated, service-employed and middle-income consumers. Dairy products, particularly milk, were purchased daily by the large majority of respondents, with quality rated as the foremost purchase attribute ahead of price, brand and certification. Younger consumers showed a stronger preference for branded products, while older consumers leaned towards local milkmen, and Amul and Dinshaw's emerged as the leading brands overall. FSSAI was by far the most recognised certification, though full understanding of certification meaning declined with age, and label-checking behaviour was oriented mainly towards manufacturing/expiry dates rather than certification marks or nutritional details. Certification nonetheless had a positive influence on trust, purchase decisions and willingness to pay a premium, particularly among younger and middle-aged consumers, and the finding that all respondents associated misleading labels with a loss of trust underlines the central importance of truthful, transparent labelling for the dairy sector.

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