Rutkow Lainie, Vernick Jon S, Edwards Danielle M, Rodman Sarah O, Barry Colleen L
Lainie Rutkow and Jon S. Vernick are with the Department of Health Policy and Management and the Center for Law and the Public's Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. Danielle M. Edwards, Sarah O. Rodman, and Colleen L. Barry are with the Department of Health Policy and Management, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore.
Am J Public Health. 2015 Mar;105(3):450-6. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2014.302376. Epub 2015 Jan 20.
The prevalence of obesity among US children raises numerous health concerns. One pathway to reduce childhood obesity is by decreasing energy intake through the ingestion of fewer calories. Yet, food and beverage manufacturers often promote energy-dense items for children via varied health claims. Deceptive health claims are prohibited, and may be addressed through litigation or governmental regulatory efforts. While the amount of legal action against these potentially deceptive claims has increased, no comprehensive assessment has been conducted. This article, which analyzes litigation and governmental regulatory activities, considers key factors that may influence decisions to take legal action against potentially deceptive health claims on foods and beverages, including scientific support, forum selection, selection of plaintiffs, and potential public health impact.
美国儿童肥胖症的流行引发了众多健康问题。减少儿童肥胖的一条途径是通过摄入更少的卡路里来减少能量摄入。然而,食品和饮料制造商经常通过各种健康声明来推广儿童高能量食品。虚假健康声明是被禁止的,可能会通过诉讼或政府监管措施来解决。虽然针对这些潜在虚假声明的法律行动数量有所增加,但尚未进行全面评估。本文分析了诉讼和政府监管活动,考虑了可能影响针对食品和饮料潜在虚假健康声明采取法律行动的决策的关键因素,包括科学依据、诉讼地选择、原告选择以及对公共健康的潜在影响。