When Do Nutrient Content and Nutrient Content Claims Matter? Assessing Consumer Tradeoffs Between Carbohydrates and Fat

Substantial concern about the wide variety of carbohydrate-related claims appearing on consumer packaged food products have been expressed by members of both the marketing and public policy communities. As a result, a number of petitions requesting the establishment of carbohydrate levels required f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of consumer affairs 2007-06, Vol.41 (1), p.47-73
Main Authors: KEMP, ELYRIA, BURTON, SCOT, CREYER, ELIZABETH H., SUTER, TRACY A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Carbohydrates
Cardiovascular disease
Consumer complaints
Consumer motivation
Consumerism
Consumers
Descriptive labeling
Diet
Dietary carbohydrates
Disease risk
Eating Disorders
Food products
Heart diseases
Knowledge Level
Low carbohydrate diets
Marketing
Motivation
Nutrient nutrient interactions
Nutrients
Nutrition
Nutrition research
Nutritional aspects
Obesity
Packaged goods
Public policy
Studies
Weight control
Working groups
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Summary:Substantial concern about the wide variety of carbohydrate-related claims appearing on consumer packaged food products have been expressed by members of both the marketing and public policy communities. As a result, a number of petitions requesting the establishment of carbohydrate levels required for a low-carbohydrate nutrient content claim have been submitted to the Food and Drug Administration, and the agency is considering the establishment of criteria for such a claim. This research examines the potential effects of a "low-carbohydrate" claim, relative to the effects of a "low-fat" claim, across selected product fat and carbohydrate levels. The study also considers whether consumers' motivation to process nutrition information serves as a potential moderator of the effects of the nutrient content claims and nutrient levels on the dependent measures. As predicted, the results show key differences across consumer motivation levels. The policy implications of our findings are discussed.
ISSN:0022-0078
1745-6606
DOI:10.1111/j.1745-6606.2006.00068.x