Exploring the effectiveness of policy options for added sugar labelling in Australian adults

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Promotion of healthy diet choices; Obesity; Public Health - Other public health; Public Health - Health promotion/education; Diet and Nutrition - Obesity

• Registration Number: ACTRN12620000858998
• Lead Sponsor: Miranda R Blake

Brief Summary

Manufacturers of packaged foods often add sugar to products such as breakfast cereals, yoghurts and drinks. Packaged foods are a key source of added sugar in Australians’ diets, with over half of Australians consuming levels of added sugar that are harmful to health, including dental health. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is currently exploring ways to label products to help consumers to select foods lower in added sugar. In an online study with more than 2500 Australian parents, we tested how 7 different labelling options for added sugar affected the likelihood of consumers selecting breakfast cereals, yoghurts and drinks high in added sugar. Additionally, we surveyed support for added sugar labelling and policies. While we found no impact on the likelihood of selecting a high sugar food for any of the seven labels, significant consumer support exists for the introduction of added sugar labelling on packaging. Nearly 85% of consumers agreed that “we need to set higher standards for how the food industry labels the food we eat”. While more research is needed, the key takeaway is consumers do strongly support clear added sugar labelling on packaging. But our findings suggest that public education campaigns are needed, targeting key population groups, including those with low literacy and numeracy, to ensure the success of these labelling measures to support consumers’ health and wellbeing.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Results First Posted: 1900-01-01
• Study Start: 2020-08-28
• Study Completion: 2021-02-13
• Last Update Posted: 10 October 2022

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 2565

Inclusion Criteria

Australian residents
-18 years or older
-Access to a computer and internet connection to complete the survey
-Regular (at least once a month or more) purchasers of breakfast cereal, yoghurt and non- alcoholic pre-packaged drinks for themselves or their household
-Completes at least one supermarket shop per month for their household
-Lives with at least one child <18 years

We will also apply the following recruitment quota:
-At least 50% of participants will be considered high sugar purchases. To categorise participants into high sugar purchasers and low sugar purchasers they will be asked to indicate whether they purchase at least once a month for themselves or their household high sugar yoghurt, breakfast cereal and non-alcoholic packaged drinks (e.g. flavoured yoghurts, kids cereals). If the participants select one or more high sugar products in each category, they will be considered a high sugar consumer

Exclusion Criteria

None

Study & Design

• Study Type: Interventional
• Study Design: Not specified