Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health, University of Connecticut, Hartford, CT06103, USA.
Department of Public Health Policy and Management, School of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, USA.
Public Health Nutr. 2023 Dec;26(12):2790-2801. doi: 10.1017/S1368980023001969. Epub 2023 Nov 1.
Test effects of a standardised 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 randomised controlled experiments, the same participants 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 flavoured water) and unsweetened (100 % juice and juice/water blend) drinks. Potential individual differences (education level and race/ethnicity) in effects were explored.
Online survey.
Six hundred and forty-eight US caregivers of young children (1-5 years).
FOP disclosures significantly increased accuracy for most ingredients and drink types, including identifying 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 perceived healthfulness of sweetened drinks but did not increase unsweetened drink healthfulness ratings. Some differences by participant socio-demographic characteristics require additional research.
FOP disclosures on children's drink packages can increase caregivers' understanding of product ingredients and aid in selecting healthier children's drinks.
测试标准化包装正面（FOP）披露声明（表明添加糖、非营养性甜味剂（NNS）和果汁含量）对评估儿童饮料成分和感知健康度的准确性的影响。
在两项随机对照实验中，相同的参与者查看饮料包装并指出产品是否含有添加糖或 NNS、果汁百分比，并对饮料健康度进行评分。实验 1（E1）包括新型（非美国）儿童饮料，a）仅产品声明（对照），b）声明和披露，或 c）仅披露。实验 2（E2）包括现有的儿童饮料（有声明），a）无披露（对照）或 b）披露。两项实验都评估了加糖（水果饮料和调味水）和无糖（100%果汁和果汁/水混合）饮料。还探讨了潜在的个体差异（教育水平和种族/民族）对效果的影响。
在线调查。
648 名美国幼儿（1-5 岁）的照顾者。
FOP 披露显著提高了大多数成分和饮料类型的准确性，包括识别甜饮料中是否存在 NNS、果汁/水混合物中是否不含添加糖、以及水果饮料和果汁/水混合物中实际果汁百分比，在两项实验中均如此。披露还增加了对新型 100%果汁和果汁/水混合物不含 NNS 或添加糖的认识（E1）和对现有加糖饮料含有添加糖的认识（E2）。披露降低了对甜饮料的感知健康度，但没有增加对无糖饮料健康度的评分。一些参与者社会人口特征差异需要进一步研究。
儿童饮料包装上的 FOP 披露可以提高照顾者对产品成分的理解，有助于选择更健康的儿童饮料。
