View the label before you view the movie: A field experiment into the impact of Portion size and Guideline Daily Amounts labelling on soft drinks in cinemas

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Large soft drink sizes increase consumption, and thereby contribute to obesity. Portion size labelling may help consumers to select more appropriate food portions. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of portion size and caloric Guidelines for Daily Amounts (GDA) labelling on consumers' portion size choices and consumption of regular soft drinks.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A field experiment that took place on two subsequent evenings in a Dutch cinema. Participants (n = 101) were asked to select one of five different portion sizes of a soft drink. Consumers were provided with either portion size and caloric GDA labelling (experimental condition) or with millilitre information (control condition).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Labelling neither stimulated participants to choose small portion sizes (<it>OR </it>= .75, <it>p </it>= .61, CI: .25 - 2.25), nor did labelling dissuade participants to choose large portion sizes (<it>OR </it>= .51, <it>p </it>= .36, CI: .12 - 2.15).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Portion size and caloric GDA labelling were found to have no effect on soft drink intake. Further research among a larger group of participants combined with pricing strategies is required. The results of this study are relevant for the current public health debate on food labelling.</p

Stakeholder views on taxation of sugar-sweetened beverages and its adoption in the Netherlands

An increasing number of governments worldwide have introduced a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) for public health. However, the adoption of such a policy is still debated in many other countries, such as in the Netherlands. We investigated Dutch stakeholder views on taxation of SSB and perceived barriers and facilitators to its adoption in the Netherlands. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in 2019 with 27 stakeholders from health and consumer organizations, health professional associations, trade associations, academia, advisory bodies, ministries and parliamentary parties. Data were analysed using a thematic content approach. The findings reveal that, between and within sectors, stakeholders expressed contradictory views on the effectiveness, appropriateness and (socio)economic effects of an SSB tax. Perceived barriers to the adoption of an SSB tax in the Netherlands included an unfavourable political context, limited advocacy for an SSB tax, a strong lobby against an SSB tax, perceived public opposition, administrative load and difficulties in defining SSB. Perceived facilitators to its adoption included an increasing prevalence of overweight, disappointing results from voluntary industry actions, a change of government, state budget deficits, a shift in public opinion, international recommendations and a solid legal basis. In conclusion, this study shows that several challenges remain to be overcome for the adoption of an SSB tax in the Netherlands. Similar research on stakeholder views in other countries may further inform SSB tax policy processes

Do financial constraint and perceived stress modify the effects of food tax schemes on food purchases: moderation analyses in a virtual supermarket experiment

Objective: To investigate whether financial constraint and perceived stress modify the effects of food-related taxes on the healthiness of food purchases. Design: Moderation analyses were conducted with data from a trial where participants were randomly exposed to: a control condition with regular food prices, an sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax condition with a two-tiered levy on the sugar content in SSB (5-8 g/100 ml: €0·21 per l and ≥8 g/100 ml: €0·28 per l) or a nutrient profiling tax condition where products with Nutri-Score D or E were taxed at a 20 percent level. Outcome measures were overall healthiness of food purchases (%), energy content (kcal) and SSB purchases (litres). Effect modification was analysed by adding interaction terms between conditions and self-reported financial constraint or perceived stress in regression models. Outcomes for each combination of condition and level of effect modifier were visualised. Setting: Virtual supermarket. Participants: Dutch adults (n 386). Results: Financial constraint or perceived stress did not significantly modify the effects of food-related taxes on the outcomes. Descriptive analyses suggest that in the control condition, the overall healthiness of food purchases was lowest, and SSB purchases were highest among those with moderate/high levels of financial constraint. Compared with the control condition, in a nutrient profiling tax condition, the overall healthiness of food purchases was higher and SSB purchases were lower, especially among those with moderate/high levels of financial constraint. Such patterns were not observed for perceived stress. Conclusion: Further studies with larger samples are recommended to assess whether food-related taxes differentially affect food purchases of subgroups

Using nudging and social marketing techniques to create healthy worksite cafeterias in the Netherlands: intervention development and study design

Abstract Background The worksite cafeteria is a suitable setting for interventions focusing on changing eating behavior, because a lot of employees visit the worksite cafeteria regularly and a variety of interventions could be implemented there. The aim of this paper is to describe the intervention development and design of the evaluation of an intervention to make the purchase behavior of employees in the worksite cafeteria healthier. The developed intervention called “the worksite cafeteria 2.0” consists of a set of 19 strategies based on theory of nudging and social marketing (marketing mix). The intervention will be evaluated in a real-life setting, that is Dutch worksite cafeterias of different companies and with a number of contract catering organizations. Methods/design The study is a randomized controlled trial (RCT), with 34 Dutch worksite cafeterias randomly allocated to the 12-week intervention or to the control group. Primary outcomes are sales data of selected products groups like sandwiches, salads, snacks and bread topping. Secondary outcomes are satisfaction of employees with the cafeteria and vitality. Discussion When executed, the described RCT will provide better knowledge in the effect of the intervention “the worksite cafeteria 2.0” on the purchasing behavior of Dutch employees in worksite cafeterias. Trial registration Dutch Trial register: NTR5372

Reformulation as an Integrated Approach of Four Disciplines:A Qualitative Study with Food Companies

In 2014, the Dutch government agreed with the food sector to lower salt, sugar, saturated fat and energy in foods. To reformulate, an integrated approach of four disciplines (Nutrition &amp; Health, Food Technology, Legislation, and Consumer Perspectives) is important for food companies (Framework for Reformulation). The objective of this study was to determine whether this framework accurately reflects reformulation processes in food companies. Seventeen Dutch food companies in the bakery, meat and convenience sector were interviewed with a semi-structured topic list. Interviews were transcribed, coded and analysed. Interviews illustrated that there were opportunities to lower salt, sugar and saturated fat (Nutrition &amp; Health). However, there were barriers to replacing the functionality of these ingredients (Food Technology). Most companies would like the government to push reformulation more (Legislation). Traditional meat products and luxury sweet bakery products were considered less suitable for reformulation (Consumer Perspectives). In addition, the reduction of E-numbers was considered important. The important role of the retailer is stressed by the respondents. In conclusion, all four disciplines are important in the reformulation processes in food companies. Reformulation does not only mean the reduction of salt, saturated fat and sugar for companies, but also the reduction of E-numbers

Social Environmental Predictors of Lapse in Dietary Behavior: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study Amongst Dutch Adults Trying to Lose Weight

BACKGROUND: When losing weight, most individuals find it difficult to maintain a healthy diet. Social environmental conditions are of pivotal importance in determining dietary behavior. To prevent individuals from lapsing, insight in social environmental predictors of lapse in dietary behavior is needed. PURPOSE: Identify social environmental predictors of lapse in dietary behavior, using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) amongst Dutch adults trying to lose weight. METHODS: Adults (N = 81) participated in two 7-day EMA weeks. Six times a day semi-random prompts were sent. At each prompt, participants indicated whether a lapse had occurred and responded to questions assessing social support, descriptive norm, injunctive norm, social pressure, presence of others, and current location. Generalized estimating equations were used to examine associations with lapse. RESULTS: Injunctive norm (OR = 1.07, 95% CI = 1.03-1.11), descriptive norm (OR = 1.04, 95% CI = 1.02-1.07), and social pressure (OR = 1.09, 95% CI = 1.05-1.14), all toward diverting from diet plans, predicted lapses. Social support toward sticking to diet plans and presence of others did not predict lapses. When controlling for a prior lapse, all other associations became nonsignificant. Lapses occurred most often at home and gradually occurred more often during the day. CONCLUSIONS: Traditional public health perspectives have mainly focused on individual choice and responsibility for overweight related unhealthy lifestyles. This study shows that there may be opportunities to enhance intervention programs by also focusing on social norms and social pressure. The involvement of partners or housemates may create more awareness of the impact of (unintentional) social pressure on risk of lapsing, and reduce the level of exerted social pressure