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Front-of-Package Nutrition Labels

N/A

Waitlist Available

Led By Jason P. Block, MD

Research Sponsored by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care

Eligibility Criteria Checklist

Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial

Must have

Be older than 18 years old

Timeline

Screening 3 weeks

Treatment Varies

Follow Up assessed from enrollment to end of one-time, 30-minute online study survey

Awards & highlights

No Placebo-Only Group

Summary

The goal of this study is to determine whether certain front-of-package food labeling systems improve the healthfulness of consumers' grocery selections. US adults who are their households' primary shoppers will complete a shopping task in a naturalistic online grocery store. They will be exposed to different front-of-package food labeling systems and asked to shop for groceries. The online store will record participants' selections. Participants will also be asked to complete survey measures.

Eligible Conditions

Food Choice
Food Preferences
Eating Habits
Healthy Eating
Nutrition

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks3 visits

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~ assessed from enrollment to end of one-time, 30-minute online study survey

Screening ~ 3 weeks

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~assessed from enrollment to end of one-time, 30-minute online study survey

This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and assessed from enrollment to end of one-time, 30-minute online study survey for reporting.

Treatment Details

Study Objectives

Study objectives can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.

Primary study objectives

Healthfulness of participants' grocery selections

Secondary study objectives

Calorie density of participants' grocery selections

Correct identification of healthier items

Fiber density of participants' grocery selections

+22 more

Awards & Highlights

No Placebo-Only Group

All patients enrolled in this study will receive some form of active treatment.

Trial Design

6Treatment groups

Experimental Treatment

Group I: Spectrum LabelsExperimental Treatment1 Intervention

All products will display an expanded Guiding Stars label that shows an overall rating indicating their healthfulness using star ratings: 1 star ("Poor"), 2 stars ("Fair"), 3 stars ("Good"), 4 stars ("Better"), or 5 stars ("Best"). The Guiding Stars rating system uses a patented algorithm to rate foods based on their nutrients and ingredients per 100-calorie serving of the food. Products that display 1-, 2-, or 3-star labels in the Positive Labels arm will display 3-, 4-, or 5-star labels, respectively, in the Spectrum Labels arm. The remaining products that do not earn stars in the Positive Labels arm will be divided in half based on their underlying Guiding Stars scores; the bottom half of these products will display 1-star labels and the top half of these products will display 2-star labels.

Group II: Positive LabelsExperimental Treatment1 Intervention

Products that meet Guiding Stars' criteria for earning 1 or more Guiding Star will display labels indicating their healthfulness using star ratings: 1 star ("Good"), 2 stars ("Better"), or 3 stars ("Best"). The Guiding Stars rating system uses a patented algorithm to rate foods based on their nutrients and ingredients per 100-calorie serving of the food. Products that do not meet Guiding Stars' criteria for earning stars will not display any new front-of-package label.

Group III: FDA Traffic Light Labels Plus Positive LabelsExperimental Treatment2 Interventions

All products will display a "Nutrition Info" label showing whether the amount of saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars in 1 serving of the product is low (\<5% DV), medium (≥5 to \<20% DV), or high (≥20% DV). "Low" will be shown in green, "Medium" in yellow, and "High" in red. The investigators will use DVs of 20g for saturated fat, 2,300mg for sodium, and 50g for added sugars per FDA definitions. Additionally, products that meet Guiding Stars' criteria for earning 1 or more Guiding Star will display labels indicating their healthfulness using star ratings: 1 star ("Good"), 2 stars ("Better"), or 3 stars ("Best"). The Guiding Stars rating system uses a patented algorithm to rate foods based on their nutrients and ingredients per 100-calorie serving of the food.

Group IV: FDA Traffic Light LabelsExperimental Treatment1 Intervention

Group V: FDA High In Labels Plus Positive LabelsExperimental Treatment2 Interventions

Products that contain high levels (i.e., ≥20% DV per serving) of saturated fat, sodium, or added sugars will display a label indicating which of these nutrients the product is high in. The investigators will use DVs of 20g for saturated fat, 2,300mg for sodium, and 50g for added sugars per FDA definitions. Additionally, products that meet Guiding Stars' criteria for earning 1 or more Guiding Star will display labels indicating their healthfulness using star ratings: 1 star ("Good"), 2 stars ("Better"), or 3 stars ("Best"). The Guiding Stars rating system uses a patented algorithm to rate foods based on their nutrients and ingredients per 100-calorie serving of the food.

Group VI: FDA High In LabelsExperimental Treatment1 Intervention

Treatment

First Studied

Drug Approval Stage

How many patients have taken this drug

FDA High In Labels

2024

N/A

~5640

Positive Labels

2024

N/A