Table_2_Claims on Ready-to-Eat Cereals: Are Those With Claims Healthier?.docx

Background: The use of advertising content strategies that suggest consuming a product will confer nutrient- and health-related benefits influences household food purchasing decisions, which increases consumption of energy-dense, nutrient-poor products. We examined the presence of marketing claims regarding nutrient content, health and nature in ready-to-eat (RTE) cereal packages in relation to the products' nutritional quality.
Methods: A cross-sectional content analysis was conducted on 178 RTE cereal packages available in the six largest supermarket chains in four Colombian cities from August to November 2018. The nutritional quality of products was assessed through the nutrient profile model established by the Chilean Law of Food Labeling and Advertising law.
Results: All products sampled exceeded the regulation threshold for at least one nutrient of concern (e.g., high-in calories and/or sugar). The majority (66.3%) of packages had claims related to nature, 57.3% had nutrient-content claims, and 15.7% had health benefit or risk avoidance claims. Most products with nature, nutrient-content, and health claims were high in energy (99.2, 98.0, and 92.9%, respectively) and sugar (88.1, 87.3, and 92.9%, respectively).
Conclusion: RTE cereal products offered in major Colombian supermarket chains are heavily marketed using nutrition- and nature-related claims. Nearly all products with claims are high in energy and sugar, despite the messages conveyed by the claims to consumers. Results support the implementation of mandatory regulations restricting claims on food and beverage products high in nutrients of concern.

背景：采用暗示食用某产品可赋予其营养与健康相关益处的广告内容策略，会影响家庭食品购买决策，进而增加高能量、低营养密度食品的消费。本研究针对即食谷物（ready-to-eat, RTE）包装上与产品营养质量相关的营养成分、健康及自然属性类营销宣称的存在情况展开调查。
方法：本研究于2018年8月至11月期间，对哥伦比亚四座城市的六家大型连锁超市在售的178款即食谷物包装开展横断面内容分析。产品的营养质量通过《智利食品标签与广告法》确立的营养成分概况模型进行评估。
结果：本次抽样的所有产品均至少存在一项超出监管阈值的关注营养素（如高卡路里或高糖）。66.3%的包装带有自然属性相关宣称，57.3%带有营养成分宣称，15.7%带有健康益处或风险规避宣称。带有自然属性、营养成分及健康宣称的产品中，绝大多数均为高能量（占比分别为99.2%、98.0%及92.9%）及高糖（占比分别为88.1%、87.3%及92.9%）产品。
结论：哥伦比亚大型连锁超市在售的即食谷物产品，大量使用与营养及自然属性相关的宣称开展营销。尽管此类宣称向消费者传递了相应利好信息，但几乎所有带有宣称的产品均为高能量及高糖产品。本研究结果支持出台强制性监管规定，限制对高关注营养素的食品及饮料产品使用此类营销宣称。