Understanding the roles that food manufacturers, government, and consumers play in efforts to reduce purchases of grain-based desserts.

摘要

The obesity epidemic has resulted in an interest among food manufacturers and government officials to develop strategies to reduce excess caloric intake and improve dietary quality in the United States (US). Grain-Based Desserts (GBD) (e.g., cakes, cookies and pies) were the main focus of this dissertation because they are one of the largest sources of calories in the US diet. This analysis examined food/beverage purchases from households in the Nielsen Homescan longitudinal dataset 2000-2012 (n=159,184). The aims of this research were to evaluate strategies involving food manufacturers and governmental legislation to reduce excess caloric intake and improve dietary quality in the US.;Aim 1 examined changes in the energy, saturated fat, and sugar density of GBD manufactured in the US between 2005 and 2012. An increase in the saturated fat density of manufactured GBD was shown. Aim 2 determined if households purchased fewer GBD across time or purchased GBD with lower energy, saturated fat, or sugar densities. Households purchased GBD with lower energy and sugar densities, and GBD with higher saturated fat density. Overall purchases of GBD decreased between 2005 and 2012. Aim 3 examined simulations increasing the price of only GBD by 10% on household purchases versus increasing the price of multiple snack/dessert foods by 10%. Evidence that a 10% increase in the price of GBD could result in consumers shifting to other snack/dessert foods was shown. In addition, a 10% increase in the price of multiple snack/dessert foods was more effective at decreasing purchases of calories, saturated fat and sugar. The results also suggest that legislation to increase prices of snack/dessert foods by 10% would not place economic burden on households with low, medium, or high economic status. In summary, the results from this dissertation inform both food manufacturers and government officials on potential opportunities to reduce excess caloric intake and improve dietary quality in the US.