Abstract:Child-targeted food marketing is a significant public health concern, prompting calls for its regulation. Product packaging is a powerful form of food marketing aimed at children, yet no published studies examine the range of literature on the topic or the “power” of its marketing techniques. This study attempts such a task. Providing a systematic scoping review of the literature on child-targeted food packaging, we assesses the nutritional profile of these foods, the types of foods examined, and the creative … Show more
“…For each product, we gathered images of the front and the back of the package. Besides the information described in Figure 1, we also categorized other packaging elements, such as the presence of children-oriented design (e.g., cartoon characters, cartoonish fonts, see also [11,20]) and traffic light labeling in the front of the package, as well as the list of ingredients.…”
Section: Products Description and Data Collectionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…see also [11,20]) and traffic light labeling in the front of the package, as well as the list of ingredients.…”
Section: Products Description and Data Collectionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The visual attributes of food packaging are all the elements that set up the product design (e.g., layout, color combination and contrast, photography or illustrations, size, and shape of packaging). For instance, cartoon characters are a feature of food packaging known to capture the attention of consumers, particularly children, promoting the desire for the product [20]. The informational elements might include packaging technology (e.g., "made from recycled material"), but more frequently, they refer to information about the product itself, namely nutritional verbal or numeric information, such as food labels [18,19].…”
Excessive free-sugar intake has become highly prevalent in numerous countries, and Portugal is not the exception. One product category that contributes to the daily intake of free sugars is breakfast cereals. In the current work, we identified 289 exemplars from two major retailers in Portugal and collected information on their nutritional profile (e.g., sugar, salt, fiber per 100 g), price, packaging features, type of food claims present (e.g., statements about the composition, sensory features, the origin of the product), and ingredients list. Overall, the sugar content of breakfast cereals was high (Mean = 19.9 g), and less than 10% of the products complied with the current national guidelines (i.e., 5 g of sugar per 100 g of product). Sugar (or other sugar sources) was listed in the top three ingredients for over 85% of the products. On average, each product included about four claims (Mean = 3.9), and sugar content was lower when the claims were related to the product composition. Critically, the sugar content was particularly high for children-oriented products (Mean = 26.4 g). Correlation analysis showed that breakfast cereals with higher sugar content also were cheaper and had lower quantities of fiber, proteins, and salt. Our findings suggest the need to implement strategies to reduce sugar in this product category (e.g., incentivize manufacturers to reformulate products). Also, our results may inform strategies aimed at promoting consumers’ awareness about the sugar content in breakfast cereals and other processed foods, facilitating healthier decision-making.
“…For each product, we gathered images of the front and the back of the package. Besides the information described in Figure 1, we also categorized other packaging elements, such as the presence of children-oriented design (e.g., cartoon characters, cartoonish fonts, see also [11,20]) and traffic light labeling in the front of the package, as well as the list of ingredients.…”
Section: Products Description and Data Collectionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…see also [11,20]) and traffic light labeling in the front of the package, as well as the list of ingredients.…”
Section: Products Description and Data Collectionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The visual attributes of food packaging are all the elements that set up the product design (e.g., layout, color combination and contrast, photography or illustrations, size, and shape of packaging). For instance, cartoon characters are a feature of food packaging known to capture the attention of consumers, particularly children, promoting the desire for the product [20]. The informational elements might include packaging technology (e.g., "made from recycled material"), but more frequently, they refer to information about the product itself, namely nutritional verbal or numeric information, such as food labels [18,19].…”
Excessive free-sugar intake has become highly prevalent in numerous countries, and Portugal is not the exception. One product category that contributes to the daily intake of free sugars is breakfast cereals. In the current work, we identified 289 exemplars from two major retailers in Portugal and collected information on their nutritional profile (e.g., sugar, salt, fiber per 100 g), price, packaging features, type of food claims present (e.g., statements about the composition, sensory features, the origin of the product), and ingredients list. Overall, the sugar content of breakfast cereals was high (Mean = 19.9 g), and less than 10% of the products complied with the current national guidelines (i.e., 5 g of sugar per 100 g of product). Sugar (or other sugar sources) was listed in the top three ingredients for over 85% of the products. On average, each product included about four claims (Mean = 3.9), and sugar content was lower when the claims were related to the product composition. Critically, the sugar content was particularly high for children-oriented products (Mean = 26.4 g). Correlation analysis showed that breakfast cereals with higher sugar content also were cheaper and had lower quantities of fiber, proteins, and salt. Our findings suggest the need to implement strategies to reduce sugar in this product category (e.g., incentivize manufacturers to reformulate products). Also, our results may inform strategies aimed at promoting consumers’ awareness about the sugar content in breakfast cereals and other processed foods, facilitating healthier decision-making.
“…A recent review by Elliott and Truman (2020) showed that the vast majority of the products targeted at children available in the market cannot be regarded as suitable for them due to their high energy density and added sugar and fat. Sugar has been reported to be the most common nutrient exceeding nutritional recommendations among products targeted at children.…”
Section: Foods Targeted At Children: Why Do They Have So Much Sugar?mentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Nowadays, products with high sugar content targeted at children can be found across a wide range of food categories, including confectionary, cookies, dairy products, cereals and sweetened beverages (Elliott & Truman, 2020). Products are targeted at children through packaging and are also frequently formulated specifically for them; the problem is that such products are not actually healthier.…”
Section: Foods Targeted At Children: Why Do They Have So Much Sugar?mentioning
Sugar intake among children has raised concern worldwide as it exceeds nutritional recommendations. Sugar contributes to the daily energy intake, without providing additional nutritional value and is associated with several negative health outcomes. Sugars added to foods during industrial processing have been identified as the main source of sugar in children's diets. The present work critically discusses the role of the food industry in contributing to children's excessive sugar intake worldwide, and the strategies that have been encouraged or implemented to reduce the sugar content in products targeted at children. The risk of the current sugar reduction practices in products targeted at children is discussed based on recent scientific evidence. Children's heightened preference for sweetness may not justify the availability of highly sugary products for children.Although research suggests that children readily accept less sweet products, there is still some wariness in the food industry to reduce sweetness intensity. This has strengthened the use of non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS), focusing on maintaining the sweetness level.However, emerging evidence suggests that this may not be the best approach.
Practical applicationsResearch shows that significant sugar reduction is feasible in products targeted at children without affecting hedonic perception, even if sweetness is reduced. The scientific evidence discussed in the present work challenges traditional approaches to sugar reduction and gives real life, practical recommendations for practitioners. All stakeholders (industry, food and health researchers, and policy makers) involved in the reformulation of products targeted at children are encouraged to prioritize children's best interest and protect their right to a healthy diet.
| INTRODUCTIONChildhood overweight and obesity is one of the most important public health problems worldwide, affecting 5.9% of children under 5 and 18.4% of 5-19 year old children (UNICEF, 2019). Overweight and obesity during childhood has negative short-term and long-term effects on health and wellbeing, including increased risk for cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and cancer, as well as increased likelihood of suffering depression and other psychological
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