Project Description

RTI International and project investigator Mary Muth partnered with researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service to determine the extent to which reformulation of foods frequently consumed by children and adolescents could improve the healthfulness of those foods and, subsequently, diet quality. Because reformulation could raise the costs of manufacturing foods, we also assessed whether healthier foods have higher average prices than less healthy foods. Our results show it is possible to improve dietary quality for households with children and adolescents by reformulating just 12 frequently-consumed foods using nutrition standards that already exist. The impact on diet quality can be achieved by changing the food supply, which benefits all consumers—not just those who are nutritionally aware—and can complement efforts to change eating behavior. These results are particularly encouraging given the interest some governments have shown in using reformulation as a tool to reduce childhood obesity, food companies’ increasing interest in participating in voluntary industry initiatives aimed at improving the healthfulness of foods, and upcoming changes to the Nutrition Facts label set to take effect in 2020. However, if reformulation leads to substantial changes in the taste or price of foods, improvements to dietary quality may be more limited.

Project Partners
Healthy Eating Research
Project Open
Open
Countries