Unhealthy Products Research Articles

Reducing consumption of unhealthy foods and beverages through banning price promotions: what is the evidence and will it work?

Increasing prevalence of overweight and obese people in England has led policymakers to consider regulating the use of price promotions on foods high in fat, sugar and salt content. In January 2019, the government opened a consultation programme for a policy proposal that significantly restricts the use of price promotions that can induce consumers to buy higher volumes of unhealthy foods and beverages. These proposed policies are the first of their kind in public health and are believed to reduce excess purchasing and, therefore, overconsumption of unhealthy products. This study summarises evidence relating price promotions to the purchasing of food and drink for home consumption and places it in the context of the proposed policy. Non-systematic review of quantitative analyses of price promotions in food and drink published in peer-reviewed journals and sighted by PubMed, ScienceDirect & EBSCOhost between 1980 and January 2018. While the impact of price promotions on sales has been of interest to marketing academics for a long time with modelling studies showing that its use has increased food and drink sales by 12-43 %, it is only now being picked up in the public health sphere. However, existing evidence does not consider the effects of removing or restricting the use of price promotions across the food sector. In this commentary, we discuss existing evidence, how it deals with the complexity of shoppers' behaviour in reacting to price promotions on foods and, importantly, what can be learned from it in this policy context. The current evidence base supports the notion that price promotions increase purchasing of unhealthy food, and while the proposed restriction policy is yet to be evaluated for consumption and health effects, there is arguably sufficient evidence to proceed. This evidence is not restricted to volume-based promotions. Close monitoring and proper evaluation should follow to provide empirical evidence of its intended and unintended effects.

New Zealand's Public Services Act: a policy opportunity for cross-government action on unhealthy products.

New Zealand's Public Services Act: a policy opportunity for cross-government action on unhealthy products.

Changes in nutrition content and health claims post-implementation of regulation in Australia.

To determine whether there were changes in the prevalence or healthiness of products carrying claims post-implementation of Standard 1.2.7: Nutrition, Health and Related Claims in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. Observational survey of claims on food packages in three categories: non-alcoholic beverages, breakfast cereals and cereal bars. Nutrient profiling was applied to products to determine their eligibility to carry health claims under Standard 1.2.7. The Standard came into effect in 2013. The proportion of products carrying claims and the proportion of those not meeting the nutrient profiling criteria were calculated. A comparative analysis was conducted to determine changes between 2011 and 2016. Three large metropolitan stores from the three major supermarket chains in Sydney, Australia were surveyed in 2011 and 2016. All claims on all available products in 2016 (n 1737). Nutrition composition and ingredients were collected from the packaging. Overall in 2016, 76 % of products carried claims and there were 7367 claims identified in the three food categories. Of products in 2016 with health claims, 34 % did not meet nutrient profiling criteria. These may breach Standard 1.2.7. Comparison of 2011-2016 showed a significant increase in the number of products carrying claims (66 v. 76 %, P < 0·001). The proportion of products carrying claims that do not meet nutrient profiling and consumers' tendency to infer health benefits from nutrition content claims warrants the regulation of all claims using the nutrient profiling. This will ensure consumers are not misled by claims on unhealthy food products.

Visual Juxtapositions as Exemplars in Messages Promoting Healthy Dietary Behavior

ABSTRACT While health communicators often study strategic health messages, investigations of how visual message elements complement or inhibit persuasive efforts are sparse in the literature. Visual juxtapositions, which refer to one visual presentation featuring two images placed next to each other, are one such visual element. In the context of improving public communication efforts related to promoting healthy dietary choices, we use visual persuasion theory and exemplification theory to test whether different visual juxtapositions influence message recipients’ expectations to share message content and reduce their consumption of unhealthy products (i.e., sugary drinks and salty foods). We carried out two studies, each a two-wave, longitudinal randomized experiment, to test for direct effects and assess the potential for indirect or delayed associations of visual persuasion appeals using visual juxtapositions. We consistently observed that a similarity visual juxtaposition evoked higher levels of surprise and expectations to share message content than a comparison juxtaposition or control condition immediately following message exposure; however, visual juxtapositions had no direct effects on unhealthy consumption expectations immediately following exposure or one-week following exposure. Levels of surprise were associated with both intended outcomes in the short-term (increased message sharing expectations) and unintended outcomes in the longer-term (increased consumption expectations). Overall, the study offers insights into the effects and associations of visual juxtapositions on message processing and persuasion outcomes, as well as raises questions about how to apply visual persuasion concepts and improve theorizing related to visual persuasion in health communication contexts.

General parenting and mothers’ snack giving behavior to their children aged 2–7

The increasing intake of energy-dense snacks among children is one of the contributing factors to childhood overweight. To understand children’s snacking habits, snack choices of parents are essential to take into account. General parenting is one of the important factors that can influence the development of healthy eating patterns and weight status among children. Therefore, this study aims to explore how the key constructs of general parenting (nurturance, structure, behavioral control, overprotection and coercive control) relate to mothers’ snack choice for their children aged 2–7 years. The Dutch version of the validated Comprehensive General Parenting Questionnaire (CGPQ) was used to assess the key constructs of general parenting. An extensive, 13-day diary study with 136 Dutch mothers was used to measure the snacks mothers provided their children aged 2–4 years and 5–7 years. For both groups of mothers in our sample, differences were found on the scores of coercive control and overprotection. No differences between the mothers were present on the key constructs behavioral control, nurturance, and structure. Results give a first indication that more mothers who scored relatively higher on coercive control provided unhealthy products, like candy and cookies, and fewer mothers provided vegetables, compared to mothers who scored lower on coercive control. A higher score on coercive control combined with a higher score on overprotection was associated with fewer mothers providing unhealthy products like cookies and candies.

Examining the Effects of Unhealthy Product Sponsors and CSR on Sport Sponsorship Authenticity and the Sporting Event

Past studies examining sponsorship have primarily focused on the sponsor and not the sporting event. The current study seeks to analyze how sponsorship associations are interpreted by consumers toward the event through the Elaboration Likelihood Advertising Model (ELAM). The purpose of this study is to: (1) examine consumers’ perceptions of authenticity and unauthenticity stemming from sport sponsor-event partnerships and the effects of each partnership on consumers’ elaboration, attitude, and emotion; and (2) assess the impact of consumer attitudes and emotions toward the sporting event on event-related behavioral intentions based on perceived authentic and unauthentic partnerships. Significant differences were found among healthy, unhealthy and CSR experiments for authenticity, elaboration, and attitude but not for emotion. In addition, emotion was positive and significantly related to event-related behavioral intentions for all three experiments, while attitude was positive and significantly related to event-related behavioral intentions for the healthy experiment only. Findings provide evidence that sponsorship associations affect consumer evaluations toward the event.

Corporate sponsorship and health halo for ultra-processed products

Objective&#x0D; To describe the characteristics of corporate sponsorship during the 21st International Congress of Nutrition provided by food companies, and to analyse the measures proposed by the organizers to deal with prospective conflicts of interest.&#x0D; Design&#x0D; Qualitative study based on participant observation and document analysis.&#x0D; Setting&#x0D; 21st International Congress of Nutrition, Buenos Aires, October 2017.&#x0D; Analysis&#x0D; The nutritional profile of the products advertised in the area of commercial exhibition was analysed according to the PAHO Nutrient Profile Model. The document analysis was based on the grounded theory to propose conceptual categories that organize the narratives on the aforementioned products.&#x0D; Results&#x0D; Large food corporations sponsoring the Congress advertised a selection of their products to health professionals and other participants attending the event. 92% of the exhibited food products were ultra-processed. 85% were high in added sugars, sodium, and/or saturated fats. Despite this unsuitable nutritional profile, narratives to endow ultra-processed products with a health halo were developed through three thematic axes: fortification with micro-nutrients, reformulation of products and symbolic reconversion of snacks by creating a positive assessment and removing negative connotations.&#x0D; The measures adopted by the organization to deal with prospective conflicts of interests included space-time segmentation of activities and the requirement for the lecturers to submit a statement declaring their funding sources limited to each presentation. Space-time restrictions proved insufficient, and the declaration of funding sources was not a requirement for institutions organizing the symposia.&#x0D; Conclusions&#x0D; The influence of corporate sponsorship by food companies in the topics of scientific debate and dietary recommendations leads to questioning the efficacy of the measures adopted by the organizers to deal with the conflicts of interests. Said measures have been characterized as an institutionalized opacity policy.&#x0D; It is necessary to define stricter standards to prevent sponsorship from companies that commercialize unhealthy products and/or that advertise products in an unsuitable way.

Effects of awe on consumer preferences for healthy versus unhealthy food products

AbstractThis research investigates how a discrete positive emotion (awe) impacts consumers' decisions on food choices. We probe and demonstrate that the experience of awe enhances consumer preferences for healthy versus unhealthy products. In a series of three studies, we find that awe, compared with a neutral emotion, increases consumers' likelihood to choose healthy products over unhealthy products (Study 1). Consumers' processing styles drive the observed awe effect (Study 2), whereby awe increases reliance on analytic processing, which leads to preferences for healthy products. Moreover, the experience of awe exerts a stronger influence on product choices among consumers with a chronic intuitive rather than analytic processing style (Study 3). Theoretical contributions to the research on awe, information processing, and healthy food preference, as well as practical implications for consumers and marketers, are discussed.

A packaged mindset: How elongated packages induce healthy mindsets

Product packaging is an important instrument for marketers to draw consumer attention to specific product information and influence product perceptions. The purpose of this research is to investigate whether exposure to a product's packaging can also activate specific mindsets that, once activated, alter consumers' food perceptions. The results of three experiments demonstrate that elongated containers activate a health mindset that influences both consumers' perception of the packaged food product but also their health perceptions of subsequently encountered food. Specifically, foods in elongated containers lead consumers to think of concepts related to healthiness, which have differentiable effects on subsequent healthy and unhealthy food products.

To look tasty, let's show the ingredients! Effects of ingredient images on implicit tasty–healthy associations for packaged products

This study investigates the effect of ingredient images on implicit tasty–healthy associations for packaged products. An implicit association test (IAT) with 106 respondents reveals the impact of repeating ingredient images on the implicit healthy = tasty intuition; fewer ingredient images are linked to a stronger intuition. This study also considers explicit product packaging preferences and the number of ingredient images depicted. The implicit intuitions affect explicit preferences, such that packages depicting few ingredient images are preferred over those depicting many ingredient images for healthy products, but no significant effects emerge for unhealthy products.

Snapshots of Urban and Rural Food Environments: EPOCH-Based Mapping in a High-, Middle-, and Low-Income Country from a Non-Communicable Disease Perspective.

A changing food environment is implicated as a primary contributor to the increasing levels of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This study aimed to generate snapshots of selected external food environments to inform intervention strategies for NCD prevention in three countries: Uganda (low income), South Africa (middle income) and Sweden (high income), with one matched pair of urban–rural sites per country. Fifty formal and informal food retail outlets were assessed, and descriptive and comparative statistical analyses were performed. We found that formal food retail outlets in these countries had both positive and negative traits, as they were the main source of basic food items but also made unhealthy food items readily available. The Ugandan setting had predominantly informal outlets, while the Swedish setting had primarily formal outlets and South Africa had both, which fits broadly into the traditional (Uganda), mixed (South Africa) and modern (Sweden) conceptualized food systems. The promotion of unhealthy food products was high in all settings. Uganda had the highest in-community advertising, followed by South Africa and Sweden with the lowest, perhaps related to differences in regulation and implementation. The findings speak to the need to address contextual differences in NCD-related health interventions by incorporating strategies that address the food environment, and for a critical look at regulations that tackle key environment-related factors of food on a larger scale.

Fats are Glossy but Does Glossiness Imply Fatness? The Influence of Packaging Glossiness on Food Perceptions.

This research brings together two research streams, one focusing on the influence of a diverse set of packaging attributes (e.g., shape, size, color, etc.) on perceptions of packaged food and the second one on the up- and downsides of using glossy materials, which are often studied in a non-food context. The current research deals with the influence of glossy (versus matte) food packages on consumers’ perceptions of the food inside the package. With one online survey and one quasi-experiment, we show that consumers draw inferences on the food’s fat level from the package surface, in that glossy packages are seen as a signal of fatness. This association is specific; consumers do not associate glossiness with every unhealthy product aspect. Sugar levels are unaffected by the package surface. However, due to the higher inferred fat level, a product in a glossy package is perceived to be less healthy, less tasty, and low in quality and product expensiveness. Thus, these findings suggest that glossy (versus matte) food packages mainly serve as a signal of negative product qualities.

A low public awareness of illegals red colorants usage: A case study in ketchup and crackers at traditional market of Sukolilo Surabaya

The low public awareness to unhealthy food products causes many unhealthy and unsafe food products still found and distributed, especially, in the traditional market. Food additives, synthetic colorants and sweetener, are widely applied in food due to its stability, attractive in colours, and cheaper. Therefore, a survey and determination of illegal reds colorants, Rhodamine B, conducted particularly in ketchups and crackers in Sukolilo Area of Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia as well as three others legal reds colorants red allure, erythrosine, and ponceau 4R. Seven traditional markets at Sukolilo district: Keputih, Gebang Putih, Menur Pumpungan, Nginden Jangkungan, Semolowaru, Klampis Ngasem, and Medokan Semampir, were sampled. Instead of ketchup and crackers, beverages, and traditional cakes are also classified containing reds colorant. They are 38 samples were collected from six traditional markets at Sukolilo district: ketchup 31.58%, crakers 5.26%, beverages 23.68%, traditional cakes 28.95% while the rest is classified as other, i.e. seasonings and sausages. None of those are found at Medokan Semampir traditional Market. None of the collected ketchups contain Rhodamine B. Ponceau 4R and Erythrosine are the common red colorants detected in the ketchups. All the crackers and some samples of traditional cakes that mostly homemade do contain Rhodamine B.

Food Taxation and the Double Burden of Malnutrition.

Dietary transition towards more animal-based and more highly processed energy-dense foods and beverages has led to sufficient or excessive intake of calories, but also a risk of insufficient intake of various essential macro- and micronutrients (the so-called double burden of malnutrition), in high-income countries, as well as in low- and middle-income countries. Taxation of energy-dense and non-essential food and beverage products has been proposed as a policy tool to reduce the intake of these foods, and such taxes have been implemented in several countries, often targeted at sugared beverages, candies, or snacks. Several studies tend to confirm an effect of such taxes on the consumption of the targeted products, but there is less knowledge as to how these taxes influence the "double burden" challenges associated with insufficient intake of important nutrients for some consumers. This paper reviews and discusses the mechanisms and experiences with taxation of unhealthy food products, as well as some implications of food taxation in light of the double burden perspective. Existing evidence suggests that taxation of unhealthy food products has the potential to reduce consumers' intake of these products and a potential to stimulate the consumption of other food products through substitution effects. However, except for the taxation of "sweets," it is not generally evident whether such substitution effects will be beneficial or harmful from a nutritional point of view. Concerns in this respect include whether individuals' sufficiency in different macro- and micronutrients will be improved or deteriorated by such effects, and whether these effects differ between population segments with currently high and low nutritional risk.

Nutrition as a sociological phenomenon

The article deals with the theoretical and methodological and procedural foundations of nutrition sociology as a special sociological theory. The authors undertake an analysis of the conducted intelligence sociological research using qualitative methodology. The conclusion is made about the formation of the youth style of food as one of the elements of the youth lifestyle with a pronounced bias towards globalized standards of rationalization of life, combining leisure with food, speeding up the pace of life and gravitation to fast food and other unhealthy products.

Nutrient content of products purchased following the implementation of the “Healthier Vending Policy” in Ireland.

AbstractIntroductionThe food environment influences food choices made by populations. On-the-go snacking has become an integral part of modern Irish life and must be considered when shaping such environments, considering that the Republic of Ireland population consume an average of 2.5 snacks daily, with 22% of snacking occasions occurring outside the home. This has driven the increased prevalence of snack food vending machines which typically stock unhealthy products that are high in energy, fat and sugar. The Health Service Executive (HSE) implemented the Healthier Vending Policy in 2015 to increase the availability of healthier products across HSE premises. This research examined the nutrient content of snacks and beverages purchased in vending machines on HSE premises following the implementation of the HSE Healthier Vending Policy.Materials and MethodsVending machines product and sales data were obtained from two vending machines companies at baseline in 2015 and following policy implementation in 2016. Product labels and online product information were used to obtain the energy and nutrient contents. The products were assigned to a snack or beverage category; nuts, mints, cereal bars, chocolates, sweets, crisps, waters, juices, carbonated drinks and other. New variables were computed, descriptive analyses were undertaken and Wilcoxon-signed rank tests performed using SPSS Statistics 24. Statistical significance was set at p &lt; 0.05.ResultsSnacks and beverages sold in 295 vending machines across 89 HSE premises were analysed. There were statistically significant decreases in median energy sold per packet (9.7%) and per 100 g (7.1%) following policy implementation. Reductions in total fat (53.2%), saturated fat (32.4%), sugar (10.0%) and sodium (20.0%) sold also occurred. When snacks were analysed separately the findings were less positive, as a statistically significant increase in energy sold per packet and an increase in total fat sold per 100 g occurred. The findings in relation to beverages were mixed. The effect of the policy varied across snack categories, with particularly large reductions in energy sold per packet in carbonated drinks (54.0%) and cereal bars (44.2%).DiscussionAdecrease in the amount of energy, total fat, saturated fat, sugar and sodium sold was observed following the implementation of the policy. The HSE Healthier Vending Policy seemed to promote a healthier environment. It is recommended that this policy continues to be implemented and is reviewed to ensure the best possible outcomes nationally. It is also advisable to bring this policy to other settings to combat obesogenic environments and promote public health.

Adjustments Needed for the Use of Nutri-Score in the Netherlands: Lack of Selectivity and Conformity with Dutch Dietary Guidelines in Four Product Groups

Objective: The study investigates the applicability of Nutri-Score in the Netherlands, by comparing Nutri-Score with Dutch Choices criteria and Dutch dietary guidelines in different product groups. Design: For products within the product groups <i>Cheese</i>, <i>Ready meals</i>, <i>Soups</i> and <i>Meal sauces</i>, nutritional data from three large national retailers was collected and the products’ corresponding Nutri-Scores were calculated. The distribution of the products among the different Nutri-Scores (A-E) per product group was calculated. To determine whether the healthiness of products correspond to a healthy score (A/B) and unhealthy products correspond to an unhealthy score (D/E), all product scores were compared to product group-specific criteria of the Dutch Choices Foundation. Furthermore, to identify whether there was a correlation between Nutri-Score and one or more nutrient(s), single and multiple regression analyses were performed. Finally, the Nutri-Score of products was compared with Dutch dietary guidelines. Data characteristics: 2299 products were included in this study, of which 1396 cheeses, 343 ready meals, 370 soups and 190 meal sauces. Results and conclusions: The current study shows that for the product groups <i>Cheese</i>, <i>Ready meals</i>, <i>Soups</i> and <i>Meal sauces</i>, there is an uneven distribution of the products among the different Nutri-Scores, Nutri-Scores of a great amount of products are not in line with Dutch Choices criteria and - dietary guidelines and there is no high correlation between Nutri-Score and health influencing nutrients in most product groups. Now that the Dutch Government has decided to implement Nutri-Score as the new FOP-label, it is advised to look into the possibilities to adapt the algorithm behind the score to a product group-specific algorithm based on Dutch guidelines.

Investigating the impact of the HSE Healthier Vending Policy on unit sales of snack items

AbstractVending machines provide quick and easy access to snacks and, in general, provide few healthy options to consumers. Given this high availability of unhealthy foods in vending machines, consumers are likely to purchase and consume a less healthy option. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of a Healthier Vending policy in all Health Service Executive (HSE) premises across the Republic of Ireland on unit sales of vending machine snacks. Under the policy, the contents of vending machines were altered so that healthier, Better Choice (BC), snacks would constitute a majority of the vending machine stock (minimum 60%) in comparison to the less healthy, Other Choice (OC), snacks. Snacks were defined as BC if they contained: ≤ 150kcals/packet, ≤ 20g/100 g total fat, ≤ 5g/100 g saturated fat, ≤ 15g/100 g sugar, and ≤ 1.5g/100 g salt/sodium. Products stocked as OC should be ≤ 250kcals/packet. BC snacks were placed in prime slots and at eye-level in order to prompt the consumer towards buying a BC snack, with OC snacks being placed to incentivise the choice of BC snacks. Consumers were also incentivised to purchase BC snacks through written cues that appear on the vending machines. Sales data was provided by vending companies for 2015 (baseline) and 2016 (year 1). Unit sales of all snack types increased between the two time points, with the exception of dried fruit and nuts. The proportion of OC products purchased relative to total unit sales decreased following the intervention, as did the proportion of gum and mints and dried fruit and nuts sales. While the proportion of BC crisps purchased relative to total unit sales increased post-intervention, an increase in the proportion of OC bars purchased relative to total unit sales was also seen. Sales of both BC and OC dried fruit/nuts relative to total unit sales decreased. Our results indicate that policies aiming to improve the nutrition environment in health care settings, through increasing the availability of healthy products in vending machines and promoting their purchase, could be an effective method of reducing the amount of unhealthy products purchased overall. These policies can alter consumers’ purchasing patterns and prompt consumers towards purchasing a healthier/unhealthier version of the same product, as seen with crisps and bars in this study.

Food Vendor Beware! On Ordinary Morality and Unhealthy Marketing

Food and beverage firms are frequently criticised for their impact on the spread of non-communicable diseases like obesity and diabetes type 2. In this article we explore under what conditions the sales and marketing of unhealthy food and beverage products is irresponsible. Starting from the notion of ordinary morality we argue that firms have a duty to respect people’s autonomy and adhere to the principle of non-maleficence in both market and non-market environments. We show how these considerations are relevant when thinking about immoral behaviour in the food and beverage industry, and identify under what conditions sales and marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages to adults and children is wrong. Based on this analysis we argue that firms should take into account: whether consumers are able to identify manipulative marketing, the degree of manipulation, as well as the negative impact a product has on health. We hold that for the food industry to act responsible it should re-evaluate the marketing of unhealthy products to adults and refrain from marketing to children. We conclude this study by making several recommendations on how the food industry should interact with consumers and highlight what changes need to be made in corporate practice.

Antioxidant activity and quality attributes of white chocolate incorporated with Cinnamomum burmannii Blume essential oil.

White chocolate is often considered as an unhealthy product with low phenolic content and antioxidant activity since it does not contain cocoa liquor. In this study, investigation on the phytochemical composition of cinnamon essential oil as well as its potential use to improve the antioxidant activity of white chocolate were carried out. The effect of the essential oil incorporation on the quality attributes of white chocolate was also examined. The results show that cinnamon essential oil was rich in cinnamaldehyde and exhibited antioxidant activity. The incorporation of cinnamon essential oil at a level of 0.1% (w/w) increased the antioxidant activity of the white chocolate more than twofold without significant effect on its hardness, melting properties and colour. However, a slight alteration on the flow behaviour of the white chocolate was observed. This study clearly shows that natural cinnamon essential oil could be an alternative to synthetic additives in foods to improve their antioxidant activity.