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Musicus AA, Hua SV, Moran AJ, Duffy EW, Hall MG, Roberto CA, Dillman Carpentier FR, Sorscher S, Wootan MG, Smith Taillie L, Rimm EB. Front-of-package claims & imagery on fruit-flavored drinks and exposure by household demographics. Appetite 2022; 171:105902. [PMID: 34968559 PMCID: PMC8821268 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2021.105902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Revised: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Young children regularly consume sugary fruit drinks, in part because parents may falsely believe they are healthful due to front-of-package (FOP) claims and imagery. The goal of this study was to assess: 1) the prevalence of FOP claims/imagery on fruit-flavored beverages purchased by U.S. households with 0-5-year-olds, and 2) proportional differences in beverages purchased with FOP claims/imagery across household demographic groups. A content analysis of FOP claims/imagery (e.g., nutrient claims, fruit imagery) on beverages (n = 1365) purchased by households with 0-5-year-olds was conducted by linking beverage sales with FOP marketing data. Results were merged with purchasing data from a nationally representative sample of households (FoodAPS), and survey-weighted logistic regression was used to assess differences in the proportions of 100% juices and fruit drinks with specific FOP claims/imagery purchased by household race/ethnicity, income, and SNAP/WIC participation. The most common claims on fruit-flavored beverages included nutrient claims (fruit drinks: 73%; 100% juices: 68%; flavored waters: 95%), which most commonly highlighted vitamin C (35-41% across beverage categories) and the absence of sugar (31-48%). Most beverages also contained implied-natural claims (fruit drinks: 60%; 100% juices: 64%; flavored waters: 95%) and natural imagery (fruit drinks: 97%; 100% juices: 96%; flavored waters: 73%). A large proportion of fruit drinks and 100% juices purchased by households across all demographic groups contained FOP claims and imagery, with a few minor differences between racial/ethnic groups. In conclusion, most fruit drinks, 100% juices, and flavored waters purchased by households with 0-5-year-olds contained FOP claims and imagery that may lead consumers to believe the beverages are healthy and natural. FDA regulations should ensure parents are not misled by this marketing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aviva A Musicus
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Sophia V Hua
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alyssa J Moran
- Department of Health Policy & Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Emily W Duffy
- Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health; Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Marissa G Hall
- Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health; Carolina Population Center, And Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center; University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Christina A Roberto
- Department of Medical Ethics & Health Policy, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Sarah Sorscher
- Center for Science in the Public Interest, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Lindsey Smith Taillie
- Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health; Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Eric B Rimm
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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