UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health

We assessed changes between 2017 and 2020 Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CFBAI) Product Lists in energy and nutrients to limit (saturated fats, sodium and total sugars) for products overall and food and drink categories. The nutrition quality of foods on the CFBAI Product List improved slightly from 2017 to 2020, with median NPI increases found only in two categories: sweet snacks and yogurts. However, the overall percent of foods with healthy NPI scores remained unchanged , and healthy products included primarily yogurts not advertised to children. Fewer drinks contained sweeteners in 2020 than in 2017. Additional improvements to CFBAI nutrition criteria and exclusion of unhealthy product categories are necessary.

Full citation: Jensen, M. L., Fleming-Milici, F., Mancini, S., McCann, M., & Harris, J. L. (2022). P059 Food Industry Self-regulation: Nutrition Quality of Products Marketed to Children Before and After Revised Nutrition Criteria. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 54(7), S46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2022.04.099

Despite its advantages to children and child care programs, CACFP is not used by many eligible providers, and little is known about their motivation to participate. The user-friendliness and quality of state CACFP agency websites is potentially one important factor influencing CACFP access in each state. This assessment aims to investigate a possible relationship between CACFP website quality scores and CACFP participation rates among licensed child care centers. Recommendations that may improve the user-friendliness of websites are also offered.

Full citation: McCann, M., Prager, J., Andreyeva, T. (2022). The Child and Adult Care Food Program: Evaluation of State Agency Websites. UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health. https://uconnruddcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2909/2022/06/CACFP_FactSheet-062722.pdf

This study adapted and validated the NEMS-S in Costa Rica. Twenty-nine food stores were assessed, three times, by two raters. Inter-rater precision and intra-rater stability were quantified. The instrument has moderate to excellent precision and stability, has construct validity, and can be useful to develop policies that encourage healthy environments in food stores.

Full citation: Golfin, F., Murillo, C., Jensen, M. L., & Frongillo, E. A. (2022). Adaptation and validation of the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey in Stores (NEMS-S) in Costa Rica. Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/19320248.2022.2088262

Formula companies aggressively market toddler milks to parents of young children in deceptive ways. This handout briefly explains how toddler milks are not as healthy as marketed. Toddler milks have more sodium and less protein than plain milk and can cost four times as much! Research shows that providing sugary drinks to toddlers likely increases their preference for sweet beverages and may cause them to dislike unsweetened drinks.

Full citation: Mancini, S. (2022). Toddler Milks: Sugary Drinks in Disguise. UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health. https://uconnruddcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2909/2022/06/Toddler_Milk_Fact_Sheet-final.pdf

This Issue Brief on Affordable Nutrition synthesizes perspectives and evidence from peer-reviewed, published research, authoritative websites, and dialogue at the Affordable Nutrition Roundtable, convened by the AHA on June 8, 2022. The roundtable sought to clarify the language used to describe intersecting concepts regarding the nutritional quality, affordability and noneconomic costs of healthy foods and diets; examine different perspectives and the scientific and experiential evidence for different approaches to ensuring equitable access to affordable nutrition; discover data, insights, and actions or innovations needed by or among different sectors to advance effective solutions; and identify thought leaders and organizations as potential partners and resources for future action.

This is an analysis of secondary, environment-level outcomes in a food pantry intervention (SuperShelf); the study evaluates whether the intervention resulted in measurable changes to the food pantry environment and improved diet quality of the food available to clients, compared with a control group of food pantries. Eleven food pantries were randomized to an intervention (n = 5) or control (n = 6) condition and completed baseline and one-year follow-up measures between 2018 and 2020. The intervention was implemented with high fidelity at five sites, with some evidence of change in the nutritional quality of the food available on the shelf to clients.

Full citation: Caspi, C., Gordon, N., Bliss Barsness, C., Bohen, L., Canterbury, M., Peterson, H., Wolfson, J., & Pratt, R. (2022). A randomized study of food pantry environment-level change following the SuperShelf intervention. Translational Behavioral Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1093/tbm/ibac003

On behalf of the World Health Organization, this systematic literature review and meta-analysis sought to assess the outcomes of implemented food taxes and subsidies for prices, sales, consumption, and population-level diet and health. A total of 54 eligible articles were assessed for the systematic review and 15 for the meta-analysis. Results of this systematic review and meta-analysis indicated that fruit and vegetable subsidies were associated with a moderate increase in fruit and vegetable sales.

Full citation: Andreyeva T, Marple K, Moore TE, Powell LM. (2022). Evaluation of Economic and Health Outcomes Associated With Food Taxes and Subsidies: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Network Open, 5(6), 1-15. DOI:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.14371

On behalf of the World Health Organization, this systematic literature review and meta-analysis sought to assess the associations of implemented sugar sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes with prices, sales, consumption, diet, body weight, product changes, unintended consequences, health, and pregnancy outcomes. A total of 86 eligible articles were assessed for the systematic review and 62 for the meta-analysis. The results suggested that SSB taxes may work as intended in reducing demand for sugar sweetened beverages through higher prices.

Full citation: Andreyeva T, Marple K, Marinello S, Moore TE, Powell LM. (2022). Outcomes Following Taxation of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Network Open, 5(6), 1-18. DOI:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.15276

This cross-sectional online survey of US caregivers of infants (6–11 months) who provided formula in the past month (N = 436) examined the proportion of infant caregivers who reported serving modified formula, demographic differences, and reasons for providing them. Approximately one-half (47%) of participants reported serving modified formula most often; sensitive and organic/non-GMO were the most common types provided. Agreement with reasons for providing was highest for “pediatricians recommend” and “benefits my child”.

Full citation: Gershman, H., Romo-Palafox, M. J., Rajeh, T., Fleming-Milici, F., & Harris, J. L. Exploring infant caregivers’ provision of modified formulas: Potential demographic differences and reasons for provisions. Frontiers in Nutrition, 955. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.867932

Inequities in the U.S. food system leads to disproportionately high rates of diet-related diseases and premature death in communities of color. One of those inequities, fast-food restaurant marketing that targets Black and Latinx youth, exacerbates diet-related health disparities. This brief examines the nature and type of fast-food restaurants’ public racial justice statements made in spring/summer 2020. It also discusses implications for public health advocacy to address the commercial determinants of health, including the negative impact of fast-food marketing on Black and Latinx youths’ diets and health.

Full citation: Mancini, S., McCann, M.,  & Harris, J. L. (2022). Fast-food companies’ racial justice statements and targeted marketing practices. UConn Rudd Center for Food Policy & Health. https://uconnruddcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2909/2022/05/Racial_Justice_051822.pdf