Child-appealing packaged food and beverage products in Canada-Prevalence, power, and nutritional quality.
<h4>Background</h4>Children are frequently exposed to marketing on food packaging. This study evaluated the presence, type and power of child-appealing marketing and compared the nutritional quality of child-appealing vs. non-child-appealing Canadian packaged foods and examined the relat...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2023-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0284350 |
| _version_ | 1797827707029946368 |
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| author | Christine Mulligan Laura Vergeer Monique Potvin Kent Mary R L'Abbé |
| author_facet | Christine Mulligan Laura Vergeer Monique Potvin Kent Mary R L'Abbé |
| author_sort | Christine Mulligan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <h4>Background</h4>Children are frequently exposed to marketing on food packaging. This study evaluated the presence, type and power of child-appealing marketing and compared the nutritional quality of child-appealing vs. non-child-appealing Canadian packaged foods and examined the relationship between nutrient composition and marketing power.<h4>Methods</h4>Child-relevant packaged foods (n = 5,850) were sampled from the Food Label Information Program 2017 database. The presence and power (# of techniques displayed) of child-appealing marketing were identified. Fisher's Exact test compared the proportion of products exceeding Health Canada's nutrient thresholds for advertising restrictions and Mann Whitney U tests compared nutrient composition between products with child- /non-child-appealing packaging. Pearson's correlation analyzed the relationship between nutrient composition and marketing power.<h4>Results</h4>13% (746/5850) of products displayed child-appealing marketing; the techniques used, and the power of the marketing varied ([Formula: see text] 2.2 techniques; range: 0-11). More products with child-appealing packaging than with non-child appealing packaging exceeded Health Canada's thresholds (98% vs. 94%; p < .001). Products with child-appealing packaging (vs. non-child-appealing) were higher in total sugars (median: 14.7 vs. 9 g/RA; p < .001) and free sugars (11.5 vs. 6.2 g/RA; p < .001), but lower in all other nutrients. There was weak overall correlation between marketing power and nutrient levels. Results varied by nutrient and food category.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Unhealthy products with powerful child-appealing marketing displayed on package are prevalent in the food supply. Implementing marketing restrictions that protect children should be a priority. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T12:52:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-61ee287918a44d3591ceb44d39ece492 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T12:52:40Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-61ee287918a44d3591ceb44d39ece4922023-05-14T05:31:22ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032023-01-01185e028435010.1371/journal.pone.0284350Child-appealing packaged food and beverage products in Canada-Prevalence, power, and nutritional quality.Christine MulliganLaura VergeerMonique Potvin KentMary R L'Abbé<h4>Background</h4>Children are frequently exposed to marketing on food packaging. This study evaluated the presence, type and power of child-appealing marketing and compared the nutritional quality of child-appealing vs. non-child-appealing Canadian packaged foods and examined the relationship between nutrient composition and marketing power.<h4>Methods</h4>Child-relevant packaged foods (n = 5,850) were sampled from the Food Label Information Program 2017 database. The presence and power (# of techniques displayed) of child-appealing marketing were identified. Fisher's Exact test compared the proportion of products exceeding Health Canada's nutrient thresholds for advertising restrictions and Mann Whitney U tests compared nutrient composition between products with child- /non-child-appealing packaging. Pearson's correlation analyzed the relationship between nutrient composition and marketing power.<h4>Results</h4>13% (746/5850) of products displayed child-appealing marketing; the techniques used, and the power of the marketing varied ([Formula: see text] 2.2 techniques; range: 0-11). More products with child-appealing packaging than with non-child appealing packaging exceeded Health Canada's thresholds (98% vs. 94%; p < .001). Products with child-appealing packaging (vs. non-child-appealing) were higher in total sugars (median: 14.7 vs. 9 g/RA; p < .001) and free sugars (11.5 vs. 6.2 g/RA; p < .001), but lower in all other nutrients. There was weak overall correlation between marketing power and nutrient levels. Results varied by nutrient and food category.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Unhealthy products with powerful child-appealing marketing displayed on package are prevalent in the food supply. Implementing marketing restrictions that protect children should be a priority.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0284350 |
| spellingShingle | Christine Mulligan Laura Vergeer Monique Potvin Kent Mary R L'Abbé Child-appealing packaged food and beverage products in Canada-Prevalence, power, and nutritional quality. PLoS ONE |
| title | Child-appealing packaged food and beverage products in Canada-Prevalence, power, and nutritional quality. |
| title_full | Child-appealing packaged food and beverage products in Canada-Prevalence, power, and nutritional quality. |
| title_fullStr | Child-appealing packaged food and beverage products in Canada-Prevalence, power, and nutritional quality. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Child-appealing packaged food and beverage products in Canada-Prevalence, power, and nutritional quality. |
| title_short | Child-appealing packaged food and beverage products in Canada-Prevalence, power, and nutritional quality. |
| title_sort | child appealing packaged food and beverage products in canada prevalence power and nutritional quality |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0284350 |
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