Potential pitfalls of health claims from a public health nutrition perspective

Mariotti, François; Kalonji, Esther; Huneau, Jean François; Margaritis, Irène

doi:10.1111/j.1753-4887.2010.00322.x

Cited by 56 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 83 publications

(101 reference statements)

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“…However, they also have considerable potential to mislead consumers [9, 10]. For example, consumers may attribute excessive health benefits to consuming a food with a claim (‘magic bullet’ effect) [11, 12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A systematic review, and meta-analyses, of the impact of health-related claims on dietary choices

Kaur

Scarborough

Rayner

2017

Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act

162

166

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BackgroundHealth-related claims are statements regarding the nutritional content of a food (nutrition claims) and/or indicate that a relationship exists between a food and a health outcome (health claims). Their impact on food purchasing or consumption decisions is unclear. This systematic review measured the effect of health-related claims, on pre-packaged foods in retail settings, on adult purchasing decisions (real and perceived).MethodsIn September 2016, we searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, CAB abstracts, Business Source Complete, and Web of Science/Science Citation Index & Social Science Citation Index for articles in English published in peer-review journals. Studies were included if they were controlled experiments where the experimental group(s) included a health-related claim and the control group involved an identical product without a health-related claim. Included studies measured (at an individual or population level); actual or intended choice, purchases, and/or consumption. The primary outcome was product choices and purchases, the secondary outcome was food consumption and preference. Results were standardised through calculating odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the likelihood of choosing a product when a health-related claim was present. Results were combined in a random-effects meta-analysis.ResultsThirty-one papers were identified, 17 of which were included for meta-analyses. Most studies were conducted in Europe (n = 17) and the USA (n = 7). Identified studies were choice experiments that measured the likelihood of a product being chosen when a claim was present compared to when a claim was not present, (n = 16), 15 studies were experiments that measured either; intent-rating scale outcomes (n = 8), consumption (n = 6), a combination of the two (n = 1), or purchase data (n = 1). Overall, 20 studies found that claims increase purchasing and/or consumption, eight studies had mixed results, and two studies found consumption/purchasing reductions. The meta-analyses of 17 studies found that health-related claims increase consumption and/or purchasing (OR 1.75, CI 1.60–1.91). ConclusionHealth-related claims have a substantial effect on dietary choices. However, this finding is based on research mostly conducted in artificial settings. Findings from natural experiments have yielded smaller effects. Further research is needed to assess effects of claims in real-world settings.Trial registrationPROSPERO systematic review registration number: CRD42016044042.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12966-017-0548-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A systematic review, and meta-analyses, of the impact of health-related claims on dietary choices

Kaur

Scarborough

Rayner

2017

Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act

162

166

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Previous research has shown that many products carrying or being advertised using claims are non-core foods, such as high-sugar/low-fibre breakfast cereals, chocolates, confectionery, cakes, biscuits, sports and energy drinks (7,8) . The public may also be easily confused about the nutritional profile of products carrying nutrition content claims (9) and may misinterpret health and nutrition content claims, especially when scientific language is used in the claims (10) . Although the 'health halo' of unhealthy products carrying claims can be mediated by the presence of a nutrition information panel (11) , research has shown that many consumers either do not routinely use the nutrition information panel or are unable to correctly interpret it (9,12,13) .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Regulating health claims on food labels using nutrient profiling: what will the proposed standard mean in the Australian supermarket?

Hughes

Wellard

Lin

et al. 2013

Public Health Nutr.

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Objective: Proposed Australian regulation of claims on food labels includes requirements for products carrying a health claim to meet nutrient profiling criteria. This would not apply to nutrition content claims. The present study investigated the number and healthiness of products carrying claims and the impact of the proposed regulation. Design: Observational survey of claims on food packages across three categories: non-alcoholic beverages, breakfast cereals and cereal bars. Nutrient profiling was applied to products carrying claims to determine their eligibility to carry health claims under the proposed regulation. Setting: Three large metropolitan stores from the three major supermarket chains in Sydney, Australia were surveyed in August 2011. Subjects: All claims on 1028 products were recorded. Nutrition composition and ingredients were collected from the packaging, enabling nutrient profiling. The proportion of products in each category carrying claims and the proportion of these that did not meet the nutrient profiling criteria were calculated. Results: Two-thirds of products in the three categories (ranging from 18 to 78 %) carried at least one claim. Of those carrying health claims, 31 % did not meet the nutrient profiling criteria. These would be ineligible to carry these claims under the proposed regulation. Additionally, 29 % of products carrying nutrition content claims did not meet the nutrient profiling criteria. Conclusions: The number of products carrying nutrition content claims that did not meet the nutrient profiling criteria suggests that comprehensive regulation is warranted. Promotion of unhealthy foods using claims is potentially misleading for consumers and hinders their ability to select healthier foods. Implementation of the proposed regulation represents an improvement to current practice.

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“…Thus, food manufacturers now have the task to make non-misleading, wellsubstantiated, understandable claims, a task in which there are certain difficulties. Mariotti, et al (2010) identified six sources of confusion associated with this task.…”

Section: Understand the Benefitmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The last two hazards for public wellbeing, according to Mariotti, et al (2010), are related to the interpretation of HCs. Some consumers might disregard the multifactorial nature of food related illnesses and think that a mere healthy diet is enough to prevent diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes type 2 and cancer (5).…”

Section: Understand the Benefitmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nutrition and Health Claims as Marketing Tools

Buul

Brouns

2013

Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition

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European regulations mandate that only substantiated and approved statements can be used as nutrition- and health-related claims in food marketing. A thorough understanding of consumer perceptions of these approved claims is needed to assess their impact on both the purchase intention of functional foods and the development of innovative functional food concepts. In this paper, a conceptual framework on the European consumers' perception of nutrition and health claims on these functional foods is proposed. Through a literature review, common independent variables are structured, and an analysis of these variables shows that nutrition and health claims are mostly only perceived positive by specific target consumers (who need the product, accept the ingredient, understand the benefit, and trust the brand). These consumers indicate that the products with substantiated and approved claims help them in reaching overall health goals. This increased expectation in functional efficacy may mediate an increase in repurchase intent, overall liking, and the amount consumers are willing to spend. Other consumers, however, may have adverse reactions towards nutrition and health claims on functional foods. Implications for the consumer and the industry are discussed.

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Potential pitfalls of health claims from a public health nutrition perspective

Cited by 56 publications

References 83 publications

A systematic review, and meta-analyses, of the impact of health-related claims on dietary choices

A systematic review, and meta-analyses, of the impact of health-related claims on dietary choices

Regulating health claims on food labels using nutrient profiling: what will the proposed standard mean in the Australian supermarket?

Nutrition and Health Claims as Marketing Tools

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