The purpose of this study is to examine whether front-of-package (FOP) disclosures increase parents’ (of children ages 1-5) ability to accurately identify amount of juice and the presence of added sugar and non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) in children’s drinks (fruit drinks, flavored waters, 100% juice and diluted juice/water blends). The specific aims are: (1) develop and test alternative FOP disclosure language and format for clarity and ease-of-use; (2) test if the proposed FOP disclosure increases parents’ accuracy in identifying the presence of NNS and added sugar and the percent juice in children’s fruit drinks, flavored water, 100% juice and juice/water blends in different scenarios, including a) on unfamiliar and familiar products; and b) on packages with and without common claims; and (3) test if the proposed disclosure affects parents’ intent to purchase and perceived healthfulness of sweetened and unsweetened drinks.
Start Date: September 2021
Organization: UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy & Health
Project Lead: Frances Fleming-Milici
Age Groups: Adults and Families, Pregnant women, infants and toddlers (ages 0 to 2), Preschool-age children (ages 3 to 5)
Focus Area: Beverages
Resource Type: Commissioned Research Project Summary
Keywords: Front-of-package labeling, Sugar-sweetened beverages, Water
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