Table 2.
Comparison of the median (IQR) product claims displayed on health food (HF) snack products sold in supermarkets and specialty HF stores to equivalent products sold in regular aisles (RA) of supermarkets, by product category for products with an HSR ≤ 2.5 and products with an HSR >2.5. Differences in median (IQR) claims displayed were assessed via Mann-Whitney U tests.
| Median Number of Product Claims Per Product with HSR ≤ 2.5 | Median Number of Product Claims Per Product with HSR > 2.5 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (N) | RA | HF | (N) | RA | HF | |
| All categories | RA (n = 933) HF (n = 555) |
1.0 (2.0) | 5.0 (4.0) * | RA (n = 318) HF (n = 555) |
3.0 (4.0) | 4.0 (4.0) * |
| Beverages | RA (n = 54) HF (n = 49) |
2.5 (3.0) | 4.0 (4.0) * | RA (n = 89) HF (n = 46) |
4.0 (3.5) | 4.0 (2.0) * |
| Chips | RA (n = 97) HF (n = 61) |
3.0 (2.0) | 4.0 (5.0) * | RA (n = 11) HF (n = 133) |
3.0 (2.0) | 5.0 (2.0) |
| Chocolate | RA (n = 222) HF (n = 176) |
1.0 (1.0) | 6.0 (4.0) * | RA (n = 0) HF (n = 5) |
- | 4.0 (3.0) |
| Confectionary | RA (n = 193) HF (n = 34) |
1.0 (1.0) | 4.0 (4.0) * | RA (n = 49) HF (n = 6) |
1.0 (1.0) | 2.0 (2.5) * |
| Savoury biscuits | RA (n=108) HF (n=37) |
2.0 (3.0) | 2.0 (3.5) * | RA (n = 59) HF (n = 82) |
3.0 (2.0) | 6.0 (5.0) * |
| Snack bars | RA (n = 70) HF (n = 114) |
3.0 (3.0) | 5.0 (4.0) * | RA (n = 104) HF (n = 271) |
3.0 (3.0) | 4.0 (4.0) * |
| Sweet biscuits | RA (n = 189) HF (n = 84) |
1.0 (2.0) | 5.0 (3.5) * | RA (n = 6) HF (n = 12) |
6.0 (4.0) | 1.5 (2.5) * |
Product claims include all nutrient content claims, health claims and ‘buzzwords’. Health Star Rating abbreviated to HSR. Regular aisles abbreviated to RA. Health foods Abbreviated to HF. * Denotes p-value < 0.001.