AppetitePub Date : 2025-09-24DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108323
Daniela Ruseva, Martin Giesel, Constanze Hesse
{"title":"Fading appetite: Desaturation of food images reduces cravings but not approach biases","authors":"Daniela Ruseva, Martin Giesel, Constanze Hesse","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108323","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108323","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The colour of food serves as a highly salient visual cue, helping us to assess its freshness and quality. In Experiment 1, we investigated how partial and complete (i.e., greyscale) desaturation of food images influenced explicit evaluations of perishable and preserved food items. We found that both self-reported cravings and perceived palatability decreased with decreasing image saturation, with larger effects observed for perishable food items compared to preserved ones. These results suggest that colour plays an important role in food evaluation, especially for perishable items, which may rely more heavily on visual cues of freshness. Furthermore, previous research has shown that attentional biases towards food images are eliminated when the images are grey-scaled. However, it remains unclear whether colour desaturation also affects behavioural/motivational responses, such as approach biases. To address this, we conducted Experiments 2 and 3, using a stimulus-response compatibility task to assess the influence of colour desaturation on approach behaviour towards perishable and preserved food images. Contrary to the previous findings on attentional biases, we observed robust approach biases for all food images, with no significant differences across saturation conditions or food types. Our findings suggest that while attentional biases are sensitive to low-level perceptual features, such as colour saturation, approach biases may be less influenced by variations in perceptual stimulus properties. This implies that motivational approach responses are primarily driven by learned associations with food rewards rather than basic stimulus saliency, highlighting a potential dissociation between attentional and motivational processes in healthy eaters.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"217 ","pages":"Article 108323"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145172172","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AppetitePub Date : 2025-09-24DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108320
Evelyn N. Liu , Allison Choe , Leah M. Lipsky, Jenna R. Cummings , Tonja R. Nansel
{"title":"Associations of self-control and dietary restraint with the home food environment during pregnancy and postpartum","authors":"Evelyn N. Liu , Allison Choe , Leah M. Lipsky, Jenna R. Cummings , Tonja R. Nansel","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108320","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108320","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding parental influences on the home food environment is critical given the effects of the home food environment on child diet quality, food preferences, and related health outcomes. This study examines relationships of the home food environment with self-control and dietary restraint in childbearing parents. Data are from the Pregnancy Eating Attributes Study (PEAS), which followed participants from the first pregnancy trimester through one-year postpartum. Participants self-reported self-control (impulsivity, delay of gratification), dietary restraint, and the home food environment (number of fruit and vegetables and obesogenic foods in the home) in early pregnancy and six months postpartum. Linear regressions estimated relationships of self-control and dietary restraint with the home food environment at each timepoint, controlling for sociodemographics. Multiplicative interaction terms tested whether dietary restraint modified associations of self-control with the home food environment. During pregnancy, greater delay of gratification and dietary restraint were associated with lower obesogenic food availability and greater fruit and vegetable availability. Lower impulsivity was also associated with greater fruit and vegetable availability. Lower dietary restraint magnified associations of delay of gratification and impulsivity with fruit and vegetable availability. In postpartum, lower impulsivity was associated with greater fruit and vegetable availability; however, there were no other associations of impulsivity, delay of gratification, or dietary restraint with the home food environment. More consistent associations of greater self-control and dietary restraint with a healthier home food environment in pregnancy than postpartum suggest that interventions targeting the home food environment during pregnancy may offer greater benefit to individuals with lower self-control or dietary restraint.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"216 ","pages":"Article 108320"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145117918","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AppetitePub Date : 2025-09-24DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108318
K.A. Loth , Z. Huang , J. Wolfson , J.A. Fulkerson , N. Hogan , J.O. Fisher
{"title":"Variability in feeding practices by parent and eating occasion: A cluster analysis approach","authors":"K.A. Loth , Z. Huang , J. Wolfson , J.A. Fulkerson , N. Hogan , J.O. Fisher","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108318","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108318","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recent research shows that parents of young children use both supportive and unsupportive food parenting practices daily, challenging assumptions that they rely on a single approach. The current study used cluster analysis to: 1) characterize approaches to feeding children that take into consideration a wide range of food parenting practices, and 2) explore patterns in how parents vary their approach across eating occasions. Parents (n = 252) reported food parenting practices used at each eating occasion (n = 6281 total) shared with their preschooler (aged 3–5 years) over multiple days (Mean: 9.23 days, SD: 9.23). Practices were categorized into four higher-order domains: structure, autonomy support, coercive control, and indulgent. Agglomerative hierarchical clustering identified clusters at both the parent and eating occasion-levels. At the parent level, four distinct clusters emerged, primarily differentiated by overall engagement and specific practice use. At the eating occasion-level, four distinct approaches were identified, with engagement level and eating occasion-specific practices driving these differences. Parents exhibited considerable variability in feeding approaches across days and meals. Findings suggest that while most parents use a broad range of practices across all four higher-order domains, they can be categorized into clusters based on type and amount of practices used. Eating occasion-level approaches were also distinct, shaped by engagement level and specific practices. The evidence that parents shift between eating occasion clusters over time supports the idea that food parenting is responsive to context. Future research should examine the longitudinal impact of these fluctuations on child outcomes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"217 ","pages":"Article 108318"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145172170","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AppetitePub Date : 2025-09-23DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108322
Mar Lozano-Casanova , Silvia Escribano , Abigail Pickard , Katie L. Edwards , Alice R. Kininmonth , Miguel Richart-Martinez , Isabel Sospedra , Claire Farrow , Jacqueline Blissett
{"title":"Validating the children's eating behaviour questionnaire in a UK sample: A suitable tool for mothers and fathers","authors":"Mar Lozano-Casanova , Silvia Escribano , Abigail Pickard , Katie L. Edwards , Alice R. Kininmonth , Miguel Richart-Martinez , Isabel Sospedra , Claire Farrow , Jacqueline Blissett","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108322","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108322","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Children's eating behaviour is a complex construct linked to various health, social, and psychological outcomes. The Children's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ)assesses parents' perceptions of children's eating behaviours across eight subscales: food fussiness, enjoyment of food, food responsiveness, satiety responsiveness, desire to drink, slowness in eating, and emotional under- and overeating. Given that the initial validation of the CEBQ dates back to the early 2000s, this study aimed to (1) evaluate the psychometric properties of the CEBQ in a UK sample using current psychometric recommendations and (2) examine its measurement invariance based on parental sex. A total of 994 caregivers (196 fathers and 798 mothers) of children aged 3–5 years completed the questionnaire. The performance of the scale revealed that 23 items exhibited ceiling or floor effects or failed to meet recommended item-total correlation coefficients. Exploratory factor analysis supported an eight-factor, 34-item structure, which was confirmed via confirmatory factor analysis: X<sup>2</sup> = 2129.845 (df = 499; <em>p</em> < 0.001), TLI = 0.911, CFI = 0.921, RMSEA = 0.083 (90 % CI 0.079–0.087) and SRMR = 0.080. All factors demonstrated adequate internal consistency (omega 3 values over 0.7). Measurement invariance testing confirmed strict invariance by parental sex, indicating the instrument performs equivalently for mothers and fathers. These findings support the use of the revised 34-item CEBQ with its eight original factors for both maternal and paternal respondents. However, future research should consider revising certain CEBQ items included to strengthen its capacity to capture variations in children's eating behaviour, and to provide a more accurate evaluation of the construct.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"216 ","pages":"Article 108322"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145147213","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AppetitePub Date : 2025-09-20DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108319
Catherine A. Serwatka , Lauren M. Smith , Amy M. Moore , Tarunjot Sethi , Hideko Engel , Amy R. Smith , Kai Ling Kong
{"title":"The impact of feeding styles on unhealthy dietary intakes and weight-for-length z-scores: Investigating sweet beverages and snack food consumption during early childhood in a diverse sample","authors":"Catherine A. Serwatka , Lauren M. Smith , Amy M. Moore , Tarunjot Sethi , Hideko Engel , Amy R. Smith , Kai Ling Kong","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108319","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108319","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Parental feeding styles shape children's dietary choices and weight.</div></div><div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>To examine the relationships between parental feeding styles, sweet beverages and snack foods intakes, and weight-for-length z-scores (WFLz) in young children.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>This cross-sectional analysis included 96 mother-child dyads (mean child age = 14.9 months, SD = 2.6). Mothers completed the Infant Feeding Styles Questionnaire, assessing five styles: responsive, restrictive, pressuring, indulgent, and laissez-faire. Three 24-h dietary recalls were analyzed using the Nutrition Data System for Research. Dietary components were categorized as sweet beverages (e.g., sugar-sweetened beverages, 100 % juice) and snack foods (e.g., cookies, chips). Child height and weight were measured. Multivariable linear regressions examined associations between feeding styles, unhealthy dietary intake, and child WFLz, adjusting for covariates.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Pressuring feeding style was positively associated with mean frequency (β = 0.39, p < 0.001), mean energy (β = 0.34, p = 0.003), and % energy (β = 0.38, p < 0.001) from sweet beverages, but negatively associated with mean frequency (β = -0.24, p = 0.034) and % energy (β = −0.22, p = 0.044) from snack foods. Restrictive feeding style was negatively associated with mean energy (β = −0.24, p = 0.036) and % energy (β = −0.23, p = 0.05) from snack foods. Higher mean frequency (β = 0.38, p = 0.002), mean energy (β = 0.37, p = 0.003), and % energy from sweet beverages (β = 0.35, p = 0.004) were associated with higher child WFLz. The effect of sweet beverages on child WFLz was not mediated by pressuring feeding style.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The contrasting associations of pressuring feeding with sweet beverage and snack consumption highlight the need for nuanced approaches in addressing parental feeding practices to mitigate obesity risk in early childhood.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"216 ","pages":"Article 108319"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145124078","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AppetitePub Date : 2025-09-18DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108316
Xiaoli Zhao , Pavel Castka , Joya Kemper
{"title":"Diet transformations in families: unravelling the meat reduction process with parents as change agents","authors":"Xiaoli Zhao , Pavel Castka , Joya Kemper","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108316","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108316","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Reducing meat consumption is widely regarded as sustainable and healthy. Despite its many benefits, modifying or abandoning established eating habits remains challenging for most people. In this paper, we investigate how families change their diets. Specifically, we examine the strategies and actions that one or both parents - acting as change agents - use to facilitate dietary change, as well as household members' responses to these efforts. We collected data through a qualitative study of thirteen Chinese families living in New Zealand (n = 42), offering a perspective that extends beyond European and American populations. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were conducted in participants' homes. Grounding our analysis in construal-level theory and family-systems theory, we identified three stages in the change process: (1) implementing a meat-reduction diet, (2) rebuilding mutual trust and respect, and (3) inspiring household members to develop a sense of commitment and responsibility. We propose a theoretical model that explains the construal shifts - from abstract to concrete and from family-centric to society-centric - that change agents use to reduce their families’ psychological distance from food consumption, thereby enabling dietary change at home. Our work contributes to the literature on family-level dietary change and supports the development of behavior-change campaigns that target families rather than individuals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"216 ","pages":"Article 108316"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145102516","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AppetitePub Date : 2025-09-18DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108317
Stephanie S. Römer , Theresa A. Larkin , Vida Bliokas , Asmahan Elgellaie , Susan J. Thomas
{"title":"The association of plasma glutamate with food addiction in individuals with major depressive disorder","authors":"Stephanie S. Römer , Theresa A. Larkin , Vida Bliokas , Asmahan Elgellaie , Susan J. Thomas","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108317","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108317","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Food addiction (FA) is more prevalent in individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) and may contribute to the increased risk of obesity in MDD. Peripheral glutamate, an amino acid found in the blood and tissues, has been linked to mental health symptoms, substance use and obesity. It is implicated in problematic eating however its relationship to FA has been underexpored. This study investigated associations between glutamate and FA in individuals with and without MDD.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Sixty-one individuals with MDD and sixty controls were recruited and sub-categorised based on criteria of the Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 (YFAS). At a clinic visit, participants underwent a diagnostic interview, anthropometric assessments (e.g., BMI, blood pressure, waist circumference), blood sampling, and completed psychological questionnaires. Plasma glutamate was analysed via ELISA kits. ANOVAs and correlations assessed between-group differences and variable relationships.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>FA was present in 41 % of MDD participants compared to 3 % of controls. Individuals with MDD had higher plasma glutamate than controls. Glutamate levels positively correlated with FA severity, emotional and external eating, stress, and depressive symptoms. Subgroup analyses showed those with both MDD and FA had the highest glutamate levels, compared to other groups.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>This study provides novel evidence that FA symptoms are associated with elevated peripheral glutamate, reinforcing emerging links between glutamate, disordered eating, and depression. These findings underscore the need for further research into glutamatergic mechanisms underlying comorbid MDD and FA to inform more targeted and effective treatment approaches.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"216 ","pages":"Article 108317"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145102451","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AppetitePub Date : 2025-09-17DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108313
Esther A. Amayo , Thomas C. Ormerod , Martin R. Yeomans
{"title":"Effects of sensory and environmental labelling of plant-based products on consumer acceptance: Context, energy density and framing factors","authors":"Esther A. Amayo , Thomas C. Ormerod , Martin R. Yeomans","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108313","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108313","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>There is growing pressure to replace animal-sourced proteins with plant-based proteins. Consumer studies suggest sensory properties and environment are the major factors impacting adoption of PBFs, but few studies have contrasted these factors. Knowing that health labels negatively impact sensory experience, we tested whether environmental labels had the same negative impact. Using an online survey, volunteers (N = 328) were randomly assigned to one of three label contexts: sensory (emphasizing taste and texture), environmental (highlighting sustainability and environmental impact), or control (no specific messaging), where they evaluated eight plant-based alternative foods. Each product was enhanced by either a positive or a negatively valanced framing statement, with half the foods higher, and half lower, in energy density (ED). Participants rated expected liking, wanting and likely recommendation, and estimated what they would pay for each food. For liking and recommending, there was no significant difference between environmental and sensory contexts (p = 0.94), but both were significantly higher than control (p = 0.0006), while for expected wanting only the sensory exceeded the control (p = 0.0014). The amount willing to pay was significantly higher in the environmental than sensory (p = 0.0005) or control (p < 0.0001) contexts, which did not differ significantly (p = 0.49). For all four measures, higher ED foods were rated significantly more positively than lower ED (p < 0.001), while the effect of environment on purchase price was magnified by higher ED foods (p < 0.001). Positive framing statements were rated significantly higher than negative framing for liking (p < 0.001), wanting (p < 0.001) and recommending (p = 0.022), but not for purchase (p = 0.30). When habitual diet (plant-based or not) was included in the exploratory analyses, it only altered acceptance of lower energy-dense products in the control context. Overall, these data suggest that the use of environmental descriptors may enhance consumer expectations and willingness to pay more to the same degree as sensory descriptors, providing various strategies for marketers and product developers to promote PBFs based on messages that best fit the brand identity and expand the PBFs narrative beyond health.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"216 ","pages":"Article 108313"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145090771","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AppetitePub Date : 2025-09-17DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108315
Vivienne M. Hazzard , Moraima Rodriguez , Dianne Neumark-Sztainer , Jerica M. Berge , Marian Tanofsky-Kraff , Melissa N. Laska
{"title":"“Fulfilling the hunger”: A qualitative study to understand the etiology of binge eating in adolescents experiencing food insecurity","authors":"Vivienne M. Hazzard , Moraima Rodriguez , Dianne Neumark-Sztainer , Jerica M. Berge , Marian Tanofsky-Kraff , Melissa N. Laska","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108315","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108315","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Food-insecure populations experience increased risk for binge eating. This study examined how food insecurity contributes to development of binge eating during adolescence—a key period for its onset—alongside broader contributing factors in this life stage. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 30 adolescents ages 12–19 years who reported past-year food insecurity (via the Child Food Insecurity Experiences Scale) and any past-month objective and/or subjective binge eating (via items from the Youth Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire). Grounded theory analysis yielded the “Co-occurring Insecurities Model”, a new working theoretical model representing six interconnected themes: (1) co-occurring body image and food insecurities contributed to (2) internally and externally imposed deprivation of food, particularly desirable foods; binge-eating episodes tended to occur when (3) opportunities to eat desirable foods coincided with a drive to (4) satisfy current or anticipated hunger and/or (5) seek comfort from food to cope with life stressors/negative mood; and (6) binge eating often resulted in emotional, interpersonal, and/or physical discomfort. Results suggest binge eating in adolescents experiencing food insecurity is explained not only by factors known to contribute to binge eating in the general population (e.g., weight/shape concern-driven dietary restraint, negative mood), but also an instinct to seize opportunities to eat desirable foods when such opportunities are hard to come by. It may be important for binge-eating interventions in populations with food insecurity to increase food access and simultaneously acknowledge that binge eating may serve an adaptive function in the context of food insecurity but often has negative repercussions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"216 ","pages":"Article 108315"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145090830","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AppetitePub Date : 2025-09-17DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2025.108308
Brittany Lemmon , Aviva A. Musicus , Anna H. Grummon , Marissa G. Hall , Christina A. Roberto , Eva Greenthal , Jennifer Falbe
{"title":"“High-In” front-of-package labeling of foods high in added sugars, sodium, and saturated fat: A randomized experiment","authors":"Brittany Lemmon , Aviva A. Musicus , Anna H. Grummon , Marissa G. Hall , Christina A. Roberto , Eva Greenthal , Jennifer Falbe","doi":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108308","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.appet.2025.108308","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Front-of-package labels (FOPLs) indicating high content of nutrients of concern (i.e., added sugars, sodium, and saturated fat) have the potential to improve consumer understanding of a food's healthfulness. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tested potential FOPLs, including “High-In” designs.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Participants (N = 3,931) were randomized to a control “High-In” FOPL with no icon (based on an FDA design) or 1 of 4 “High-In” FOPLs with icons: a (1) magnifying glass, (2) exclamation mark in a black circle, (3) exclamation mark in a white circle, and (4) multiple labels (one for each nutrient) with exclamation marks. Participants were shown 3 frozen meals, high in 1, 2, or 3 nutrients of concern, labeled according to assigned condition. Participants were asked to select the (1) healthiest and least healthy products and (2) the product(s) high in each of added sugars, sodium, and saturated fat. Perceived discouragement of consuming a food high in nutrients of concern was also assessed for each label.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>There were no significant differences between the control and icon labels in identifying the healthiest or least healthy products. However, the multilabel-exclamation condition improved identification of high-sodium and high-saturated-fat items compared to all other conditions (78 % vs. 68–72 % and 85 % vs. 76–80 %, respectively) (Ps < 0.05). The multilabel-exclamation condition was also perceived as significantly more discouraging of consuming a high-in food than all other conditions.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>FOPLs that list each “high-in” nutrient in separate labels may better help consumers identify foods high in nutrients of concern than a label combining all nutrients.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":242,"journal":{"name":"Appetite","volume":"216 ","pages":"Article 108308"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145090904","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}