5 a day fruit and vegetable food product labels: reduced fruit and vegetable consumption following an exaggerated compared to a modest label
BackgroundFood product labels based on the WHO 5 a day fruit and vegetable (FV) message are becoming increasingly common, but these labels may impact negatively on complementary or subsequent FV consumption. This study aimed to investigate the impact of a '3 of your 5 a day' versus a '1 of your 5 a day' smoothie product label on subsequent FV consumption.MethodsUsing an acute experimental design, 194 participants (90 males, 104 females) were randomised to consume a smoothie labelled as either '3 of your 5 a day' (N 97) or '1 of your 5 a day' (N 97) in full, following a usual breakfast. Subsequent FV consumption was measured for the rest of the day using 24 h recall. Usual FV consumption was also assessed via 24 h recall for the day before the study.ResultsRegression analyses revealed a significantly lower subsequent FV consumption following smoothies displaying the '3 of your 5 a day' label compared to the '1 of your 5 a day' label (Beta 0.15, p 0.04) Secondary analyses revealed these effects to be driven mainly by changes to consumption in usual high FV consumers, in females and in vegetable as opposed to fruit consumption.ConclusionsThese findings demonstrate a role for label information in food intake, and the potential negative impacts of an exaggerated food product label on healthy food consumption and healthy dietary profiles.
BMC Public Health