Confused by whole grain labels on food packaging? Study finds you're not
alone
Researchers say results provide legal evidence for proposed changes in labeling regulations

Date:
August 10, 2020
Source:
Tufts University, Health Sciences Campus
Summary:
Whole grain labels are confusing to consumers, according to a new
study that found many made the wrong choice when asked to pick the
healthier option based on product labels. The researchers say the
results provide legal evidence for changes in labeling policies.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Whole grain labels on cereal, bread, and crackers are confusing to
consumers and could cause them to make fewer healthy choices, according
to the results of a study that tested whether people are able pick out
the healthier, whole grain option based on food package labels.


==========================================================================
The study, led by researchers at the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman
School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University and NYU
School of Global Public Health, is published today in Public Health
Nutrition. The researchers say the findings could help lead to
enhancements in food labeling.

A pool of 1,030 U.S. adults, representative of the population, responded
to a survey with photos of both hypothetical and real products. The
photos showed the products, with various whole grain labels on the front
of the package, along with the nutrition facts label and ingredients
list for each product.

Participants were asked to identify the healthier option (for the
hypothetical products) or assess the whole grain content (for the real products).

* For the hypothetical products, 29-47% of respondents answered
incorrectly (specifically, 31% incorrectly for cereal, 29-37% for
crackers, 47% for bread).

* For real products that were not mostly composed of whole grains, 43-51%
of respondents overstated the whole grain content (specifically, 41%
overstated for multigrain crackers, 43% for honey wheat bread, and 51% for 12-grain bread). Consumers more accurately stated the whole grain content
for an oat cereal product that really was mostly composed of whole grain.

"Our study results show that many consumers cannot correctly
identify the amount of whole grains or select a healthier whole grain
product. Manufacturers have many ways to persuade you that a product has
whole grain even if it doesn't. They can tell you it's multigrain or
they can color it brown, but those signals do not really indicate the
whole grain content," said first author Parke Wilde, a food economist
and professor at the Friedman School.



==========================================================================
The packages on the hypothetical products either had no front-of-package
whole grain label or were marked with "multigrain," "made with whole
grains," or a whole grain stamp. The packages on the real products
displayed the actual product markings, including "multigrain," "honey
wheat," and "12 grain." The study goal was to assess whether consumer misunderstanding of the labels meets a legal standard for enhanced
U.S. labeling requirements for whole grain products. The legal standard
relates to deceptive advertising, and evidence that the labels are
actually misleading -- or likely to mislead -- consumers can bolster
support for regulations.

"With the results of this study, we have a strong legal argument that
whole grain labels are misleading in fact. I would say when it comes to deceptive labels, 'whole grain' claims are among the worst. Even people
with advanced degrees cannot figure out how much whole grain is in these products," said co- author Jennifer L. Pomeranz, assistant professor of
public health policy and management at NYU School of Global Public Health.

Previous research has shown disparities in whole grain intake
in the United States, including for example, lower intake for
adolescents than for adults, and lower intake for participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) than for higher-income non-participants. The authors of the new study found that consumers
who were younger, had less education, were Black or African American,
or reported having difficulty understanding food labels were more likely
to answer incorrectly in the test involving hypothetical products.

The2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that half of all
grains consumed should be whole grains. Adequate intake of whole grains
has been linked with reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes,
and cancer.

"A large chunk of Americans' daily calories -- 42 percent -- comes from
low quality carbohydrates. Consuming more whole grains can help change
that, but the policy challenge is to provide consumers with clear labels
in order to make those healthier choices," said co-senior author Fang
Fang Zhang, nutrition epidemiologist at the Friedman School.

Limitations of the study include the fact that higher education
respondents were moderately over-represented, which means the results
are conservative.

Also, a formal response rate to the survey cannot be calculated because participants were part of ongoing survey panels and volunteered to
respond.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
Tufts_University,_Health_Sciences_Campus. Note: Content may be edited
for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Parke Wilde, Jennifer L Pomeranz, Lauren J Lizewski, Fang Fang
Zhang.

Consumer confusion about wholegrain content and healthfulness
in product labels: a discrete choice experiment and
comprehension assessment. Public Health Nutrition, 2020; 1 DOI:
10.1017/S1368980020001688 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200810103302.htm

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