UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health

Birth to two years is a critical period for developing healthy eating habits and preventing childhood obesity. Baby Food FACTS provides a comprehensive analysis of the nutritional content of food and drink products marketed to parents for their babies and toddlers (up to age 3), the messages used to promote these products, and how well the marketing messages correspond with expert advice about feeding young children.

Marketing for baby and toddler food and drinks often contradicts the advice of health professionals, using messages that may lead parents to believe that these commercial products are healthier alternatives to breastmilk or homemade food, according to a new study by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the University of Connecticut.

The healthfulness of food and beverage purchases by participants in the federal Women, Infants, and Children food assistance program (WIC) increased after revisions in 2009 that were designed to improve the nutrition of low-income pregnant women, new mothers and their young children, according to a new study by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the University of Connecticut.

Full citation: Andreyeva T, Tripp AS. The healthfulness of food and beverage purchases after the federal food package revisions: The case of two New England states. Prev Med. 2016;91:204-210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2016.08.018

Full citation: Longacre MR, Drake KM, Titus LJ, et al. Child-targeted TV advertising and preschoolers’ consumption of high-sugar breakfast cereals. Appetite. 2017;108:295-302. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2016.10.014

Full citation: Schwartz MB. Incentive and Restriction in Combination-Make Food Assistance Healthier With Carrots and Sticks. JAMA Intern Med. 2016;176(11):1619-1620. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.6104

Unhealthy snack food brands such as Cheetos, Fruit-by-the-Foot and Froot Loops have reformulated their products to meet new USDA Smart Snacks nutrition standards so they can be sold to kids in schools. But these products often come in packages that look similar to the unhealthy versions of the brands that are still sold in stores and advertised widely to youth.

Full citation: Rincón-Gallardo Patiño S, Tolentino-Mayo L, Flores Monterrubio EA, et al. Nutritional quality of foods and non-alcoholic beverages advertised on Mexican television according to three nutrient profile models. BMC Public Health. 2016;16:733. Published 2016 Aug 5. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-3298-0

Full citation: Harris JL, Hyary M, Schwartz MB. Effects of Offering Look-Alike Products as Smart Snacks in Schools. Child Obes. 2016;12(6):432-439. https://doi.org/10.1089/chi.2016.0080

Full citation: Puhl RM, Neumark-Sztainer D, Bryn Austin S, Suh Y, Wakefield DB. Policy Actions to Address Weight-Based Bullying and Eating Disorders in Schools: Views of Teachers and School Administrators. J Sch Health. 2016;86(7):507-515. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12401