Front-of-package claims & imagery on fruit-flavored drinks and exposure by household demographics.

Young children regularly consume sugary fruit drinks, in part because parents may falsely believe they are healthful due to front-of-package (FOP) claims and imagery. The goal of this study was to assess: 1) the prevalence of FOP claims/imagery on fruit-flavored beverages purchased by U.S.

The Demise of Artificial Trans Fat: A History of a Public Health Achievement.

Unlabelled: Policy Points This article describes a strategic combination of research, advocacy, corporate campaigns, communications, grassroots mobilization, legislation, regulatory actions, and litigation against companies and government to secure a national policy to remove artificial trans fat from the US food system. Sharing lessons we learned can help inform policymakers, academics, policy practitioners, and students across disciplines. Some of our lessons are that system change means that all consumers benefit without the need for individual behavior change; research can both identify opportunities to improve health and support policy adoption; policy efforts can serve as public education campaigns; policy campaigns can drive marketplace changes; and engaging forward-thinking companies can diffuse opposition to passing a policy.

Developing a National Research Agenda to Support Healthy Food Retail.

The food retail environment is an important driver of dietary choices. This article presents a national agenda for research in food retail, with the goal of identifying policies and corporate practices that effectively promote healthy food and beverage purchases and decrease unhealthy purchases. The research agenda was developed through a multi-step process that included (1) convening a scientific advisory committee; (2) commissioned research; (3) in-person expert convening; (4) thematic analysis of meeting notes and refining research questions; (5) follow-up survey of convening participants; and (6) refining the final research agenda.

How a Public Health Goal Became a National Law: The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.

This case study provides insights into policy strategy and advocacy best practices that resulted in passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, a public health law that resulted in improvements to school foods and beverages across the country. Congress reauthorizes child nutrition programs such as the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program every 5 years. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 is the legislation that reauthorized the child nutrition programs through September 30, 2015, and continues in effect today.

How Do Nutrition Guidelines Compare for Industry to Market Food and Beverage Products to Children? World Health Organization Nutrient Profile Standards versus the US Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative.

Background: Food and beverage advertising targeting children influences their food choices, diets, and health. Experts have suggested that efforts on food marketing to children would be more effective if self-regulatory nutrition criteria were stronger. The US self-regulatory program, the Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI), and the World Health Organization (WHO) Europe nutrient profile model use different approaches to set nutrition criteria for food marketing to children, making comparing the strength of their criteria challenging.

Exploratory analysis of fast-food chain restaurant menus before and after implementation of local calorie-labeling policies, 2005-2011.

Introduction: Since 2008, several states and municipalities have implemented regulations requiring provision of nutrition information at chain restaurants to address obesity. Although early research into the effect of such labels on consumer decisions has shown mixed results, little information exists on the restaurant industry's response to labeling. The objective of this exploratory study was to evaluate the effect of menu labeling on fast-food menu offerings over 7 years, from 2005 through 2011.

Poor nutrition on the menu: children's meals at America's top chain restaurants.

Background: We evaluated the nutritional quality of children's meals at chain restaurants, because children obtain about a third of their daily calories from away-from-home foods and studies show that restaurant foods are often higher in calories and lower in nutritional value than foods prepared at home.

Methods: We assessed the nutritional quality of children's meals at the 50 largest U.S.

Children's meals in restaurants: families need more help to make healthy choices.

Helping families make healthier choices when eating out is important because eating out is a growing and significant part of Americans' diets and eating out is associated with obesity. Although a number of restaurants have announced improvements recently, many restaurant children's meals remain high in calories, saturated fat, and sodium, and default options are often fries and sugary drinks. Behavioral economic interventions that make default options healthy make healthy choices easier and mean that individuals must actively work to engage in less desirable behaviors.

Nine out of 10 food advertisements shown during Saturday morning children's television programming are for foods high in fat, sodium, or added sugars, or low in nutrients.

A 2005 review by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies concluded that food marketing influences children's food preferences, consumption, and health. Given the powerful influence of marketing on children's diets, this cross-sectional study examined the types of foods, the nutritional quality of those foods, and the marketing techniques and messages used in food advertising during Saturday morning children's television programming. During 27.

Nickelodeon markets nutrition-poor foods to children.

Background: While many factors contribute to childhood obesity and children's poor diets, food marketing affects children's food choices, preferences, their diets, and their health. The purpose of this study was to assess the nutritional quality of the foods marketed by one of the largest companies that markets food to children, Nickelodeon.

Methods: In fall 2005, the nutritional quality of foods advertised via Nickelodeon media and with Nickelodeon characters was assessed.

Availability of point-of-purchase nutrition information at a fast-food restaurant.

Objective: Given the link between eating out, poor diets, and obesity, we assessed the availability of point-of-purchase nutrition information at the largest fast-food restaurant in the U.S., McDonald's.

Availability of nutrition information from chain restaurants in the United States.

Background: Although obesity and poor dietary habits are complex multifactorial problems, away-from-home food has been identified as one likely and important contributor. Restaurants provide a growing and substantial portion of the average American's diet, yet the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA), which went into effect in 1994, explicitly exempts restaurants from most labeling requirements. Thus, this study examined the availability of nutrition information from the largest chain restaurants in the United States.

The cost-effectiveness of 1% or less media campaigns promoting low-fat milk consumption.

Introduction: The purpose of our study was to compare the cost-effectiveness of four strategies using components of 1% Or Less to promote population-based behavior change. 1% Or Less is a mass-media campaign that encourages switching from high-fat (whole or 2%) to low-fat (1% or skim) milk. Using a quasi-experimental design, campaigns were previously conducted in four West Virginia communities using different combinations of 1) paid advertising, 2) media relations, and 3) community-based educational activities.