Do sugar warning labels influence parents' selection of a labeled snack for their children? A randomized trial in a virtual convenience store.

ABSTRACT: Despite growing evidence that warning labels reduce purchases of sugary drinks, less is known about warnings' impact on purchases of sugary snacks. This paper aimed to experimentally test whether a front-of-package label warning about high sugar content ("sugar warning label") would reduce parents' likelihood of selecting a labeled snack versus a non-labeled snack for their child in a food store setting. Participants (n = 2,219 parents of at least one child aged 1-5y) were recruited via an online panel and asked to complete a shopping task in a virtual convenience store. Participants were randomized to one of three labeling conditions: barcode control, text-only sugar warning label, or pictorial sugar warning label. Participants viewed two granola snacks, one labeled and one unlabeled, and

SUBMITTER: Taillie LS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10173438 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature