Published: April 2022

ID #: 76337

Journal: Am J Clin Nutr

Authors: Hall MG, Lazard AJ, Higgins ICA, Blitstein JL, Duffy EW, Greenthal E, Sorscher S, Taillie LS.

See more related research

Share


Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, including fruit drinks, contributes to childhood obesity. We aimed to examine whether nutrition-related claims on fruit drinks influence purchasing among parents and lead to misperceptions of healthfulness. We conducted an experiment in a virtual convenience store with 2219 parents of children ages 1-5 y. Parents were randomly assigned to view fruit drinks displaying 1 of 3 claims (“No artificial sweeteners,” “100% Vitamin C,” and “100% All Natural”) or no claim (i.e., control group). Parents selected among each of 2 drinks for their young child: 1) a fruit drink or 100% juice (primary outcome), and 2) a fruit drink or water. When choosing between a fruit drink and 100% juice, 45% of parents who viewed the fruit drink with the “No artificial sweeteners” claim, 51% who viewed the “100% Vitamin C” claim, and 54% who viewed the “100% All Natural” claim selected the fruit drink, compared with 32% in the no-claim control group. “No artificial sweeteners” and “100% All Natural” claims increased the likelihood of parents choosing the fruit drink instead of water but “100% Vitamin C” did not. All claims made parents more likely to incorrectly believe that the fruit drinks contained no added sugar and were 100% juice than the control, as assessed in a posttest survey. The impact of claims on selection of the fruit drink (compared with 100% juice) did not vary by any of the moderators examined (e.g., race/ethnicity, income). Overall, nutrition-related claims led parents to choose less healthy beverages for their children and misled them about the healthfulness of fruit drinks.

Related Research

January 2021

Nutrition Claims on Fruit Drinks Are Inconsistent Indicators of Nutritional Profile: A Content Analysis of Fruit Drinks Purchased by Households With Young Children

Fruit drinks are the most commonly consumed sugar-sweetened beverage among young children. Fruit drinks carry many nutrition-related claims on the front of package (FOP). Nutrition-related claims affect individuals’ perceptions of the healthfulness of products and purchase intentions, often creating a “health halo” effect. The aims of this study were to describe the prevalence of FOP More

November 2023

Understanding the Chasm in the Diffusion of Online Food Benefit Ordering: A Service Ecosystem Approach

Although consumers used online grocery shopping more frequently to limit exposure to the COVID-19 virus during the pandemic, the participants of some federal nutrition assistance programs lacked the option to redeem their food benefits online. Some retailers were pilot-testing online food benefit ordering for the participants of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, More

November 2023

Effects of a front-of-package disclosure on accuracy in assessing children’s drink ingredients: two randomised controlled experiments with US caregivers of young children

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 More