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Arellano-Gómez LP, Jáuregui A, Nieto C, Contreras-Manzano A, Quevedo KL, White CM, Thrasher JF, Davis RE, Hammond D, Barquera S. Effects of front-of-package caffeine and sweetener disclaimers in Mexico: cross-sectional results from the 2020 International Food Policy Study. Public Health Nutr 2023; 26:3278-3290. [PMID: 37781769 PMCID: PMC10755452 DOI: 10.1017/s1368980023002100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Revised: 08/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Front-of-package warning labels introduced in Mexico in 2020 included disclaimers that caution against allowing children to consume products with non-sugary sweeteners and caffeine. We examined the awareness and use of the disclaimers among Mexican adults and youth 1 month after the regulation was implemented. We also investigated their impact on the perceived healthfulness of industrialised beverages designed for children. DESIGN Data on the awareness and use of the disclaimers were analysed. Two between-subjects experiments examined the effect of a sweetener disclaimer (Experiment 1, youth and adults) or a caffeine disclaimer (Experiment 2, only adults) on the perceived healthfulness of industrialised beverages. Interactions between experimental conditions and demographic characteristics were tested. SETTING Online survey in 2020. PARTICIPANTS Mexican adults (≥18 years, n 2108) and youth (10-17 years, n 1790). RESULTS Most participants (>80 %) had seen the disclaimers at least rarely, and over 60 % used them sometimes or frequently. The sweetener disclaimer led to a lower perceived healthfulness of a fruit drink (adults: 2·74 ± 1·44; youth: 2·04 ± 0·96) compared with the no-disclaimer condition (adults: 3·17 ± 1·54; youth: 2·32 ± 0·96) (t's: >4·0, P values: <0·001). This effect was larger among older adults and male youth. The caffeine disclaimer did not affect adult's perceived healthfulness of a caffeinated drink (t = 0·861, P value = 0·3894). CONCLUSIONS There were high awareness and use of the sweeteners and caffeine disclaimers shortly after the warning labels were implemented. The sweetener disclaimer appears to be helping consumers modify their perceptions regarding industrialised beverages for children. Findings may help decision-makers improve the regulation and better target communication strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Patricia Arellano-Gómez
- Center for Research on Nutrition and Health, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Av. Universidad 655 Col. Santa María Ahuacatitlán, Cuernavaca, 62100, Mexico
- Department of Psychology, Education and Health, Nutrition and Food Sciences, ITESO Jesuit University of Guadalajara, Guadalajara, Mexico
| | - Alejandra Jáuregui
- Center for Research on Nutrition and Health, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Av. Universidad 655 Col. Santa María Ahuacatitlán, Cuernavaca, 62100, Mexico
| | - Claudia Nieto
- Center for Research on Nutrition and Health, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Av. Universidad 655 Col. Santa María Ahuacatitlán, Cuernavaca, 62100, Mexico
| | - Alejandra Contreras-Manzano
- Center for Research on Nutrition and Health, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Av. Universidad 655 Col. Santa María Ahuacatitlán, Cuernavaca, 62100, Mexico
- National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT), Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Kathia Larissa Quevedo
- Center for Research on Nutrition and Health, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Av. Universidad 655 Col. Santa María Ahuacatitlán, Cuernavaca, 62100, Mexico
| | - Christine M White
- School of Public Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada
| | - James F Thrasher
- Department of Health Promotion, Education and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, USA
- Center for Population Health Research, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Mexico
| | - Rachel E Davis
- Department of Health Promotion, Education and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, USA
| | - David Hammond
- School of Public Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada
| | - Simón Barquera
- Center for Research on Nutrition and Health, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Av. Universidad 655 Col. Santa María Ahuacatitlán, Cuernavaca, 62100, Mexico
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