title: Nutrition claims influence health perceptions and taste preferences in fourth- and fifth-grade children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether children perceive food with nutrition claims as healthier and tasting differently than those without claims.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fourth- and fifth-graders (n = 47) from 3 California schools participated. Two identical products (cookies, crackers, or juice) were placed in front of product packages, 1 with a nutrition claim, the other without. Each child was asked which product was healthier and which tasted better.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The percentage of children who identified the reduced-fat cookie, whole-grain cracker, or 100% juice as healthier was 81%, 83% and 81%, respectively. The taste of the "healthier" product (ie, with nutrition claim) was preferred by 72%, 67%, and 54%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A convenience sample of children perceived products with a nutrition claim as healthier and identified the "healthier" cookies and crackers as tasting better. Future research should examine whether food labeling can be used to encourage children to consume healthier diets.
authors.affiliation: Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Center for Weight and Health, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-3104, USA.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Soldavini
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Crawford
authors.forename: Lorrene D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Ritchie
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health; D002140:California; D002648:Child; D053198:Child Nutrition Sciences / Q000193:education; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D054626:Consumer Health Information; D005260:Female; D005515:Food Labeling / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000523:psychology*; D058870:Food, Organic; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013649:Taste