What do consumers think of food for kids?

There is a perceived concern among consumers about the health impact of food aimed at children. The controversial topic has led to policy moves like restrictions on junk food advertising aimed at children in the UK and Chile.

However, according to a new study, there has been precious little research into what the man on the street actually thinks of childhood nutrition. Are consumer concerns about children’s food really as widespread as they seem?

Are foods aimed at children harmful to their health?​The market for children’s food, which often includes colourful packaging, cartoon characters, and an emphasis on fun over functionality, is growing. According to Research and Markets, the sector will be worth a whopping $216.4bn by 2030.

Because of their appeal and the vulnerability of the group at which they’re aimed, the risk to health provided by children’s food with poor nutritional value is higher than average. Indeed, many health and nutrition experts view many child-oriented products as of less-than-ideal nutritional content, and studies have indicated that such products are often HFSS, as well as high in calories and energy density.

Furthermore, daily recommended nutrient values presented on the side of these products refer to those of adults, not children, potentially misleading consumers.

While there is no legal definition of child-oriented food, the research defines it as food products with certain product and packaging characteristics which are clearly aimed to appeal to children. The researchers ruled out ‘junk food’ in the definition, instead focusing on products meant to be consumed daily.

What do consumers think about child-oriented foods?​Previous studies on the subject have focused on marketing, suggesting that parents generally consider marketing certain products towards children unethical. Positive aspects of such products, such as convenience, have mostly been neglected.

In this study, the researchers first asked participants (parents and non-parents) to fill out an online questionnaire, which measured their views on food targeted at children, as well as their purchase friequency of such products.

Results showed that consumers did indeed have some concerns about the healthiness of such products. Fathers perceived them as healthier than mothers and those without children.

Complementing this exploration of consumer perceptions on the healthiness of the food, the study also explored whether consumers view it as convenient. The first party of the study suggested consumers consider them moderately convenient.

How do these beliefs affect buying patterns?​The second part of the study, which only included parents, aimed to ascertain whether beliefs about child-oriented food correlated with buying patterns of said foods.

Using another online study, the researchers found very similar results to the first in regards to whether people were concerned about the nutritional content of these foods (they were) and whether they considered them convenient (moderately so), despite it being only parents included this time.

Participants were more likely to purchase these products if they considered them healthy and convenient, and less likely if they had nutrition-related concerns. Perceived healthiness and convenience were significantly stronger predictors than nutrition-related concerns.

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Sourced From: Appetite
‘“Flavor, fun, and vitamins”? Consumers’ Lay Beliefs About Child-Oriented Food Products’
Published on: 17 November 2024
Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2024.107773
Authors: R. E. Bruckdorfer, O. B. Büttner, G. Mau