Feasibility of using an experimental auction methodology to assess the impact of front‐of‐package rating systems on parental demand for children's beverages

Communicating nutrition information using rating systems depicted as front‐of‐package labels (FOPL) can potentially improve dietary intake. Little is known, however, about estimating changes in demand for more or less healthy products in real‐life settings. The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of using experimental auction (EA) methodology to estimate parental demand for children's beverages under different FOPL conditions. Parents of children ages 3–11 were recruited to complete in‐depth interviews (n=5) and EA's (n=10). Interviews in grocery stores explored parents' decision making for purchasing children's beverages and results of qualitative analysis informed development of an EA protocol to assess demand for three beverages under different FOPL conditions. Nine of 10 parents completed the protocol with minimal difficulty. Average time burden was 20 minutes. In debriefing all participants identified the products as conceptually interchangeable and representative of choices made in the grocery stores. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using an EA methodology to assess demand for products in real‐life settings under different FOPL conditions. The innovative use of EA to assess impact of nutrition rating systems on demand may generate momentum for policy action in the area of food labeling. Funded by the USC Center for Research in Nutrition and Health Disparities.