The Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation Pledge: Calories Purchased by U.S. Households with Children, 2000–2012

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Citation

Ng, Shu Wen & Popkin, Barry M. (2014). The Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation Pledge: Calories Purchased by U.S. Households with Children, 2000--2012. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 47(4), 520-530. PMCID: PMC4171651

Abstract

Context: An independent evaluation of the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation (HWCF) marketplace pledge found that the participating companies met and exceeded their interim 2012 sales reduction pledge.
Evidence acquisition: This follow-up study conducted in 2013 used purchase data from 2000 to 2012 among U.S. households with children and compared trends in calorie purchases of HWCF, non-HWCF name brands, and private label (PL) products in the pre-pledge period (2000–2007) and the post-pledge period (2008–2012); controlled for potential effects of concurrent changes in demographic and economic factors, including the Great Recession and food prices; and assessed whether the HWCF marketplace pledge was associated with reductions in consumer packaged goods (CPG) calorie purchases by households with children.
Evidence synthesis: There has been a significant per capita decline in average daily CPG caloric purchases between 2000 and 2012 among households with children from all brand categories. Based on pre-pledge trends, declines in CPG caloric purchases were already occurring. However, post-pledge reductions in calories purchased from HWCF brands were less than expected, and reductions in calories purchased from non-HWCF name brands and PLs were greater than expected after economic, sociodemographic, and secular factors were accounted for.
Conclusions: If the 16 HWCF companies had been able to maintain their pre-pledge trajectory, there should have been an additional 42 kcal/capita/day reduction in calories purchased from HWCF products in 2012 among households with children. A lack of change in total CPG calories purchased between 2011 and 2012 calls into question the sustainability of the decline and a need for continued monitoring.

URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2014.05.030

Reference Type

Journal Article

Year Published

2014

Journal Title

American Journal of Preventive Medicine

Author(s)

Ng, Shu Wen
Popkin, Barry M.

PMCID

PMC4171651

ORCiD

Ng - 0000-0003-0582-110X
Popkin - 0000-0001-9495-9324