Ignite Creation Date:
2025-12-24 @ 9:09 PM
Ignite Modification Date:
2026-01-04 @ 4:39 PM
Study NCT ID:
NCT02814604
Status:
COMPLETED
Last Update Posted:
2020-11-09
First Post:
2016-05-24
Is NOT Gene Therapy:
True
Has Adverse Events:
False
Brief Title:
FoodFLIP: Testing the Effectiveness of a Food Information App to Promote the Selection of Healthier Foods
Sponsor:
University of Toronto
Organization:
Study Overview
Official Title:
FoodFLIP: Testing the Effectiveness of a Food Information App to Promote the Selection of Healthier Foods
Status:
COMPLETED
Status Verified Date:
2020-11
Last Known Status:
None
Delayed Posting:
No
If Stopped, Why?:
Not Stopped
Has Expanded Access:
False
If Expanded Access, NCT#:
N/A
Has Expanded Access, NCT# Status:
N/A
Acronym:
None
Brief Summary:
There is a lot of confusion when it comes to understanding nutrition information on food packages, thus making it difficult for consumers to choose healthy products. In today's busy and fast-paced shopping environment, mobile digital technology (for example, Smartphone applications) can help consumers make 'healthier' food choices when they are shopping. This study aims to test the effectiveness of a traffic light front-of-pack system, the Health Star Rating System (HSR or Star System), and the proposed sodium, saturated fat and sugar warning labels proposed by Health Canada. The study will also experimentally test the use of a Smartphone application (app), FoodFlip, to help educate consumers on these systems on food packages to explore the impact of a learning effect on the efficacy of the labelling systems.
Detailed Description:
The rising rate of obesity and diet-related chronic diseases illustrate that Canadians' eating habits need to change. Equipping Canadians with information and tools to enable healthy food choices that decrease risk for disease is imperative. While the Nutrition Facts table (NFt) is the most standardized and complete form of nutrition labelling, studies have shown that consumers are confused about serving size, nutrient quantities, and the interpretation of the % Daily Value. Thus, expert groups have proposed the introduction of interpretive front-of-pack (FOP) nutrition rating systems (e.g. traffic light labelling or star ratings) that also help consumers understand the significance of the levels of nutrients in relation to the "healthiness" of a food. One of the main barriers to the introduction of such a system is the absence of high quality studies that objectively measure the impact of nutrition information on actual food purchases. This is a consequence of both the practical challenges associated with designing and conducting such studies in 'real-world' settings, and the lack of food industry support to quantitatively examine or publish the potential for enhanced nutrition labels to modify consumer food choices. With the growing burden of diet-related disease, there is an urgent need for robust evidence to evaluate the potential for additional interpretive nutrition labelling systems to modify and improve food purchasing patterns. Given the relative ubiquity of mobile digital technologies, our Canadian Smartphone application (FoodFLIP) provides us with an unprecedented opportunity to examine and improve consumers' diets.
This study will investigate whether a traffic light, a health star rating or a high-in warning label FOP system can help consumers identify and purchase healthier foods.
Objective 1: To evaluate the effects of three FOP systems in helping consumers characterize healthfulness and nutritional content of food items.
Objective 2: To determine which of the three FOP systems support healthier food choices and are preferred by Canadian consumers.
This study will investigate whether a traffic light, a health star rating or a high-in warning label FOP system can help consumers identify and purchase healthier foods.
Objective 1: To evaluate the effects of three FOP systems in helping consumers characterize healthfulness and nutritional content of food items.
Objective 2: To determine which of the three FOP systems support healthier food choices and are preferred by Canadian consumers.
Study Oversight
Has Oversight DMC:
False
Is a FDA Regulated Drug?:
False
Is a FDA Regulated Device?:
False
Is an Unapproved Device?:
None
Is a PPSD?:
None
Is a US Export?:
None
Is an FDA AA801 Violation?: