This study aimed to test the effects of a standardized front-of-package (FOP) disclosure statement (indicating added sugar, non-nutritive sweetener (NNS) and juice content) on accuracy in assessing ingredients and perceived healthfulness of children’s drinks. In two randomized controlled experiments, the same participants (six hundred and forty-eight U.S. caregivers of young children ages 1-5 years) viewed drink packages and indicated if products contained added sugar or NNS and percent juice and rated drink healthfulness. Experiment 1 (E1) included novel (non-US) children’s drinks with a) product claims only (control), b) claims and disclosure, or c) disclosure only. Experiment 2 (E2) included existing children’s drinks (with claims) with a) no disclosure (control) or b) disclosure. Both experiments evaluated sweetened (fruit drink and flavored water) and unsweetened (100 % juice and juice/water blend) drinks. Potential individual differences (education level and race/ethnicity) in effects were explored. FOP disclosures significantly increased accuracy for most ingredients and drink types, including identifying the presence or absence of NNS in sweetened drinks, no added sugar in juice/water blends, and actual percent juice in fruit drinks and juice/water blends in both experiments. Disclosures also increased recognition that the novel 100 % juice and juice/water blend did not contain NNS or added sugar (E1) and existing sweetened drinks contained added sugar (E2). Disclosures reduced the perceived healthfulness of sweetened drinks but did not increase unsweetened drink healthfulness ratings. This study suggests that FOP disclosures on children’s drink packages can increase caregivers’ understanding of product ingredients and aid in selecting healthier children’s drinks.
Published: November 2023
ID #: CAS077
Journal: Public Health Nutr
Authors: Fleming-Milici F, Gershman H, Pomeranz J, Harris JL
Focus Areas: Beverages, Food Marketing
Keywords: Front-of-package labeling, Sugar-sweetened beverages
Resource Type: Journal Article
Age Groups: Pregnant women, infants and toddlers (ages 0 to 2), Preschool-age children (ages 3 to 5)
Related Research
September 2021
Effects of Front-of-Package Disclosures on Parents’ Understanding of Ingredients in Sweetened and Unsweetened Children’s Drinks
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 the 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 MoreDecember 2024
Estimating Young Children’s Exposure to Food and Beverage Marketing on Mobile Devices
Food and beverage marketing drives poor diet quality and obesity risk among children. However, it is unknown how much young children are exposed to digital food and beverage marketing on mobile devices like tablets and smartphones. The objective of this study was to estimate how frequently young children, who are particularly vulnerable to advertising, view MoreOctober 2024