Full citation: Hyary M, Harris JL. Hispanic Youth Visits to Food and Beverage Company Websites. Health Equity. 2017;1(1):134-138. Published 2017 Sep 1. https://doi.org/10.1089/heq.2016.0026

A new study evaluating major U.S. fast-food restaurant chains’ pledges to offer healthier kids’ meal drinks and sides shows inconsistent implementation at the chains’ individual restaurant locations. Moreover, promotion of healthier items varied widely between the chains examined, according to a new report from the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the University of Connecticut.

To address public health concerns about the negative impact of children’s fast food consumption, some of the largest U.S. fast-food restaurants – McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway, Wendy’s, KFC, and Dairy Queen – have pledged to remove sugar-sweetened fountain drinks from menu boards and/or offer healthier drinks and side dishes with kids’ meals. In this research, we evaluated restaurants’ implementation of their healthier kids’ meal pledges by analyzing: (1) kids’ meal drink and side items listed on restaurants’ websites; (2) kids’ meal drink and side items listed and pictured on menu boards and featured on signs inside and outside restaurants; and (3) drinks and sides offered by restaurant personnel at the point-of-sale with kids’ meal orders. To assess changes over time, data were collected in 2010, 2013, and 2016

With support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Research Innovation and Development Grants in Economics (RIDGE) Program at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University and the University of Connecticut focuses on economic research aimed at enhancing food security and dietary quality for low-income Americans through the nation’s nutrition assistance programs. For the 2017 cycle, the program announces nine research grant awards, reflecting a wide range of nutrition assistance program topics.

Flavored milk served in the National School Lunch Program contains up to 10 grams of added sugar per serving, which is 40 percent of a child’s daily allowance of added sugar. Given the nation’s key public health target of limiting added sugars in children’s diets, flavored milk has come under scrutiny in the context of school nutrition.

A new study by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the University of Connecticut measured plain milk selection and consumption in the years after flavored milk was removed in two schools. During the first year without flavored milk, 51.5 percent of students selected plain milk. Two years later, 72 percent of students selected plain milk. Both years, student selection and consumption of plain milk dropped significantly on days when 100 percent fruit juice was also available.

Full citation: Schwartz MB, Henderson KE, Read M, Cornelius T. Student Acceptance of Plain Milk Increases Significantly 2 Years after Flavored Milk Is Removed from School Cafeterias: An Observational Study. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2018;118(5):857-864. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2017.05.021

Parents expressed support for a broad range of community-based policies to promote healthy eating habits for their children. The findings highlighted in this summary are a part of a larger report on Parents’ Attitudes about Food Marketing to Children released in April 2017.

Parents expressed support for a broad range of media-related policies to promote healthy eating habits for their children. The findings highlighted in this summary are a part of a larger report on Parents’ Attitudes about Food Marketing to Children released in April 2017.

Parents expressed support for a broad range of school-related policies to promote healthy eating habits for their children. The findings highlighted in this summary are part of a larger report on Parents’ Attitudes about Food Marketing to Children released in April 2017.

Using data from a UConn Rudd Center report on Parents’ Attitudes about Food Marketing to Children, this infographic depicts parental support for policies to encourage healthy eating across different demographics.