Marketing techniques, health, and nutritional claims on processed foods and beverages before and after the implementation of mandatory front-of-package warning labels in Peru

Abstract

In June 2019, mandatory front-of-package warning labels (FOPL) were implemented in Peru. The aim of the study was to describe changes in marketing strategies on packaging: marketing techniques (MT), health claims (HC), and nutritional claims (NC) on the packaging of products frequently consumed by children before and after the FOPL implementation. Product photos were taken pre- (March 2019) and post-implementation (March-October 2020) in three supermarkets in Lima, Peru. Following INFORMAS protocols and Peruvian Technical Norms, the presence of MT, HC, and NC was assessed on all package sides. Products were classified as “high-in” and “not high-in” based on the regulation threshold for critical nutrients. Differences in the proportion of products with each strategy in both periods were evaluated. Also, a subsample of products was matched according to the barcode and exact McNemar test was used to compare proportions of strategies pre/post-implementation. We included 883 and 1,035 products in pre- and post-implementation, respectively. In both periods, MT appeared on almost 70% of all products. The presence of HC increased significantly only for beverages (24.5–38.1%, p < 0.001). In both phases, NC were commonly used on beverages (>80%). Overall, the prevalence of “high-in” products using MT increased (73.6–82.1%, p = 0.007), while use of HC increased among “not high-in” products (32.9–41.6%, p < 0.001). There is a high frequency of MT on all products and NC on beverages. The increase in MT in “high-in” products may be an industry response to minimize the impact of the FOPL on food choices and sales. New regulatory aspects regarding labeling should be implemented to strengthen the current policy.

Monitoring health and nutrition claims on food labels in Brazil

“…One possible reason is that the INFORMAS protocol used to classify health claims considers brand names, phrases below the brand name, and slogans as health claims, and in the Mintel-GNPD we did not use the variable “brand” to identify the claims (e.g., a product with the name Naturale was considered as a health claim). However, nutrition and health claims that most impact consumers and influence their food choices are highlighted on the front of the package ( 18 , 41 ) and on other sides of the package as well ( 11 , 42 ) and are not necessarily present in brand logos and slogans.…”

“…One possible reason is that the INFORMAS protocol used to classify health claims considers brand names, phrases below the brand name, and slogans as health claims, and in the Mintel-GNPD we did not use the variable "brand" to identify the claims (e.g., a product with the name Naturale was considered as a health claim). However, nutrition and health claims that most impact consumers and influence their food choices are highlighted on the front of the package (18,41) and on other sides of the package as well (11,42) and are not necessarily present in brand logos and slogans. Studies evaluating the validity and reliability of the information available on secondary databases have been made through the years in epidemiology (43), as a way of certifying that variables, measures, or information collected by third parties can be used to generate good results in quantitative studies that associate health outcomes with risk factors, for example.…”

Relación entre el nivel de nutrientes críticos y declaraciones nutricionales de clasificación “light” en productos procesados y ultraprocesados ofertados en una cadena de supermercados de Lima, Perú: un estudio analítico transversal.

“…En Perú, una de las medidas para abordar el problema de salud pública generado por el incremento de las ECNT ha sido la promulgación de la Ley 30021 Ley de Promoción de la Alimentación Saludable para Niños, Niñas y Adolescentes 15 , en donde se propone, entre otras disposiciones, la implementación de advertencias frontales para los productos altos en nutrientes críticos. Se espera que una consecuencia del etiquetado frontal sea la reformulación de productos, o el uso de una mayor cantidad de declaraciones 16 .…”