Improvements in the healthiness of packaged foods and beverages consumed by children and adolescents could have an impact on obesity through improved dietary intake patterns. Food manufacturers have new incentives to reformulate foods in response to changes in the Nutrition Facts label (NFL) and serving sizes scheduled to go into effect in 2018. The overall goal of this study is to determine whether reformulation of foods typically consumed by children and adolescents has improved the healthiness of available foods, and to develop an understanding of the characteristics of food manufacturers that have reformulated foods. Specific aims are to: 1) assess types and frequencies of reformulation for packaged foods frequently purchased by households with children using household-based scanner data linked to nutrient content data; 2) estimate net changes in nutrients purchased by households with children across demographic groups; and 3) using regression analysis, determine the characteristics of food manufacturers that are more likely to reformulate foods to reduce calories, saturated fats, sugars, and sodium and increase fiber. Existing commercial datasets on food purchases, attributes of foods, and attributes of food manufacturers will be used.
Studying the Impact of Food Reformulation on Child and Adolescent Obesity and What Motivates Manufacturers to Reformulate Foods
Related Research
February 2016
Minimum Stocking Levels and Marketing Strategies of Healthful Foods for Small Retail Food Stores
The healthfulness of foods and beverages found in retail food stores differs widely across the United States, both by location of the store as well as by store type. Some communities have limited access to stores that carry healthful staple foods such as fruits and vegetables, whole grain-rich foods, and … More
October 2018
A Qualitative Evaluation of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) Grant Program
This research describes findings from interviews conducted with grantees of multi-year community-based and large-scale projects funded by the FINI mechanism, as well as with stakeholders who could speak to FINI on a broader level. A total of 22 interviews were conducted with 19 organizations. Key elements addressed in this evaluation … More
September 2018
Parents’ Reports of Fast-Food Purchases for Their Children: Have They Improved?
Few research studies have examined the menu items that parents purchase for their children at fast-food restaurants or their attitudes about healthier kids’ meals. The purpose of this research was to document specific menu items that parents reported purchasing for their children at the top fast-food restaurant chains, attitudes about … More