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FDA High In Labels Plus Positive Labels for Food Preferences

N/A
Waitlist Available
Led By Jason P. Block, MD
Research Sponsored by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
Eligibility Criteria Checklist
Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial
Must have
Be older than 18 years old
Timeline
Screening 3 weeks
Treatment Varies
Follow Up assessed from enrollment to end of one-time, 30-minute online study survey
Awards & highlights

Summary

The goal of this study is to determine whether certain front-of-package food labeling systems improve the healthfulness of consumers' grocery selections. US adults who are their households' primary shoppers will complete a shopping task in a naturalistic online grocery store. They will be exposed to different front-of-package food labeling systems and asked to shop for groceries. The online store will record participants' selections. Participants will also be asked to complete survey measures.

Eligible Conditions
  • Food Preferences
  • Nutrition
  • Food Choice
  • Eating Habits
  • Healthy Eating

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks
Treatment ~ Varies
Follow Up ~assessed from enrollment to end of one-time, 30-minute online study survey
This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and assessed from enrollment to end of one-time, 30-minute online study survey for reporting.

Treatment Details

Study Objectives

Study objectives can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.
Primary study objectives
Healthfulness of participants' grocery selections
Secondary study objectives
Calorie density of participants' grocery selections
Correct identification of healthier items
Fiber density of participants' grocery selections
+22 more

Trial Design

6Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Group I: Spectrum LabelsExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
All products will display an expanded Guiding Stars label that shows an overall rating indicating their healthfulness using star ratings: 1 star ("Poor"), 2 stars ("Fair"), 3 stars ("Good"), 4 stars ("Better"), or 5 stars ("Best"). The Guiding Stars rating system uses a patented algorithm to rate foods based on their nutrients and ingredients per 100-calorie serving of the food. Products that display 1-, 2-, or 3-star labels in the Positive Labels arm will display 3-, 4-, or 5-star labels, respectively, in the Spectrum Labels arm. The remaining products that do not earn stars in the Positive Labels arm will be divided in half based on their underlying Guiding Stars scores; the bottom half of these products will display 1-star labels and the top half of these products will display 2-star labels.
Group II: Positive LabelsExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
Products that meet Guiding Stars' criteria for earning 1 or more Guiding Star will display labels indicating their healthfulness using star ratings: 1 star ("Good"), 2 stars ("Better"), or 3 stars ("Best"). The Guiding Stars rating system uses a patented algorithm to rate foods based on their nutrients and ingredients per 100-calorie serving of the food. Products that do not meet Guiding Stars' criteria for earning stars will not display any new front-of-package label.
Group III: FDA Traffic Light Labels Plus Positive LabelsExperimental Treatment2 Interventions
All products will display a "Nutrition Info" label showing whether the amount of saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars in 1 serving of the product is low (\<5% DV), medium (≥5 to \<20% DV), or high (≥20% DV). "Low" will be shown in green, "Medium" in yellow, and "High" in red. The investigators will use DVs of 20g for saturated fat, 2,300mg for sodium, and 50g for added sugars per FDA definitions. Additionally, products that meet Guiding Stars' criteria for earning 1 or more Guiding Star will display labels indicating their healthfulness using star ratings: 1 star ("Good"), 2 stars ("Better"), or 3 stars ("Best"). The Guiding Stars rating system uses a patented algorithm to rate foods based on their nutrients and ingredients per 100-calorie serving of the food.
Group IV: FDA Traffic Light LabelsExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
All products will display a "Nutrition Info" label showing whether the amount of saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars in 1 serving of the product is low (\<5% DV), medium (≥5 to \<20% DV), or high (≥20% DV). "Low" will be shown in green, "Medium" in yellow, and "High" in red. The investigators will use DVs of 20g for saturated fat, 2,300mg for sodium, and 50g for added sugars per FDA definitions.
Group V: FDA High In Labels Plus Positive LabelsExperimental Treatment2 Interventions
Products that contain high levels (i.e., ≥20% DV per serving) of saturated fat, sodium, or added sugars will display a label indicating which of these nutrients the product is high in. The investigators will use DVs of 20g for saturated fat, 2,300mg for sodium, and 50g for added sugars per FDA definitions. Additionally, products that meet Guiding Stars' criteria for earning 1 or more Guiding Star will display labels indicating their healthfulness using star ratings: 1 star ("Good"), 2 stars ("Better"), or 3 stars ("Best"). The Guiding Stars rating system uses a patented algorithm to rate foods based on their nutrients and ingredients per 100-calorie serving of the food.
Group VI: FDA High In LabelsExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
Products that contain high levels (i.e., ≥20% DV per serving) of saturated fat, sodium, or added sugars will display a label indicating which of these nutrients the product is high in. The investigators will use DVs of 20g for saturated fat, 2,300mg for sodium, and 50g for added sugars per FDA definitions.

Find a Location

Who is running the clinical trial?

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)NIH
2,409 Previous Clinical Trials
4,319,299 Total Patients Enrolled
5 Trials studying Food Preferences
9,457 Patients Enrolled for Food Preferences
Harvard Pilgrim Health CareLead Sponsor
59 Previous Clinical Trials
24,979,088 Total Patients Enrolled
2 Trials studying Food Preferences
5,307 Patients Enrolled for Food Preferences
Stanford UniversityOTHER
2,448 Previous Clinical Trials
17,486,833 Total Patients Enrolled
2 Trials studying Food Preferences
5,307 Patients Enrolled for Food Preferences
~3740 spots leftby Sep 2025
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