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ARS Home » Plains Area » Grand Forks, North Dakota » Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center » Healthy Body Weight Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #202911

Title: Nutrition Marketing on Children's Foods

Author
item Colby, Sarah

Submitted to: Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/10/2006
Publication Date: 4/1/2007
Citation: Colby, S.E. 2007. Nutrition marketing on children's foods [abstract]. Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. 21(5):A300-A301.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Given the rise in childhood obesity, marketing non-nutrient dense foods to children has instigated a worldwide debate. This research sought to determine how often nutrition marketing (health claims, nutrient content claims, or implied claims) is used on labels of foods containing high amounts (>20% daily value) of saturated fat, sodium, and/or sugar (operationally defined as >6 grams sugar for non-fruit/milk based products and >21grams sugar for fruit/milk based products). All items packaged with food labels (N=9,429) in one grocery store in Grand Forks, N.D. were visually surveyed. Of 1507 products perceived to be marketed to children, 73% had nutrition marketing. Of those, 59% had high saturated fat, sodium and/or sugar content; high sugar content being the most frequently identified (13.97%, 15.06%, and 49.45%, respectively). The most commonly used nutrition marketing statements were “good source of calcium,” “good source of Vitamin C,” “made with real…,” “low/trans fat free,” and “low/fat free.” Whether nutrition marketing of products with high saturated fat, sodium and/or sugar content influences consumer product choice is unknown.