14 research outputs found
The influence of frontâofâpack portion size images on children's serving and intake of cereal
Background: Consumption of large portions of energyâdense foods promotes weight gain in children. Breakfast cereal boxes often show portions much larger than the recommended serving size. Objective: This experimental study investigated whether frontâofâpackage portion size depictions influence children's selfâserved portions and consumption. Methods: In a betweenâsubjects design, 41 children aged 7â11 years (M= 9.0 Âą 1.5y) served themselves breakfast cereal from a box, the front of which depicted either a recommended serving size of cereal (30g) or a larger, more typical frontâofâ pack portion (90g). Cereal served and consumed and total caloric intake (including milk) was recorded. Height and weight, demographic information and measures of children's food responsiveness and enjoyment of food were collected. Results: MANOVA revealed that children exposed to the larger portion size served themselves (+7g, 37%) and consumed (+6g, 63%) significantly more cereal than those exposed to the smaller portion. Despite this, overall caloric intake (milk included) did not differ between conditions, and no other measured variables (hunger, BMI) significantly affected the outcomes. Conclusion: This study provides novel evidence of the influence portionâsize depictions on food packaging have on children's eating behaviour. This offers possible avenues for intervention and policy change; however, more research is needed
Do front-of-pack âgreen labelsâ increase sustainable food choice and willingness-to-pay in U.K. consumers?
Aim: In a series of pre-registered online studies, we aimed to elucidate the magnitude of the effect of general sustainability labels on U.K. consumersâ food choices.
Methods: Four labels were displayed: âSustainably sourcedâ, âLocally sourcedâ, âEnvironmentally friendlyâ, and âLow greenhouse gas emissionsâ. To ensure reliable results, contingency valuation elicitation was used alongside a novel analytical approach to provide a triangulation of evidence: Multilevel-modelling compared each label vs. no-label; Poisson-modelling compared label vs. label. Socioeconomic status, environmental awareness, health motivations, and nationalism/patriotism were included in our predictive models.
Results: Exp.1 Multilevel-modelling (N = 140) showed labelled products were chosen 344% more than non-labelled and consumers were willing-to-pay âźÂŁ0.11 more, although no difference between label types was found. Poisson-modelling (N = 735) showed consumers chose Sustainably sourced and Locally sourced labels âź20% more often but were willing-to-pay âźÂŁ0.03 more only for Locally sourced products. Exp.2 was a direct replication. Multilevel-modelling (N = 149) showed virtually identical results (labels chosen 344% more, willingness-to-pay âźÂŁ0.10 more), as did Poisson-modelling (N = 931) with Sustainably sourced and Locally sourced chosen âź20% more and willingness-to-pay âźÂŁ0.04 more for Locally sourced products. Environmental concern (specifically the âpropensity to actâ) was the only consistent predictor of preference for labelled vs. non-labelled products.
Conclusions: Findings suggest front-of-pack âgreen labelsâ may yield substantive increases in consumer choice alongside relatively modest increases in willingness-to-pay for environmentally-sustainable foods. Specifically, references to âsustainableâ or âlocalâ sourcing may have the largest impact