Dissecting Qualified Health Claims: Evidence From Experimental Studies

Abstract

This paper reviews recent consumer studies evaluating comprehension of a novel form of food labeling, qualified health claims, now permitted by FDA. The joint goals of qualified health claims are to encourage firms to make accurate, science-based claims about the health benefits of their products while helping consumers prevent disease and improve their health through sound dietary decisions using enhanced nutrition information. This paper examines whether consumers can differentiate between multiple levels of health claims and determines if a front label visual aid helps consumer understanding. Results of experimental consumer attitude studies are presented which suggest that people do not perceive significant differences between the three levels of qualified claims and traditional (unqualified or SSA) health claims. An additional experiment suggests that a visual aid (report card) may be an important device to help consumers distinguish between the levels of health claims. However, thought-listing data suggests that consumers use the report card to draw inferences about overall product quality rather than the strength of scientific evidence supporting the health claim. Implications of these findings for the future regulatory oversight and marketing of functional food products are discussed.

Keywords:

• Qualified health claims
• significant scientific agreement (SSA)
• functional foods
• consumer attitude
• marketing and regulation

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This project was supported by Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems Grant no. 2001-52102-11333 from the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, awarded to a multidisciplinary group at The Ohio State University (see http://fst.osu.edu/ifafs/).

Notes

¹Even SSA claims are qualified in the sense that approved health claim language is not definitive and includes “may”. The most recent Soluble Dietary Fiber and Coronary Heart Disease “A” claim serves as an example. “Soluble fiber from foods such as [source], as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease” (emphasis added).

²A larger number of qualified health claims have been permitted for dietary supplements, see http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/∼dms/qhc-sum.html for a current list.