Testing Ultra-processed Warning Labels in United States

Part of paid clinical trials in Baltimore, Maryland.

Sponsor
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Study ID
NCT07533877
Status
Recruiting
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Conditions

  • Consumer Behavior
  • Diet
  • Nutrition Labeling

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
18 Years - N/A
Healthy Volunteers
Accepted

Interventions

  • Label exposure in mock-up UPF products — BEHAVIORAL
    This intervention consists of exposure to ultra-processed warning label (UPFWL) conditions embedded within the FDA Nutrition Information Box (NIB). Participants view mock-ups of ultra-processed yogurt products displaying either the NIB alone or the NIB combined with a UPFWL (yellow, red, or black). This intervention experimentally isolates the incremental effect of adding a processing-based warning across products with varying nutritional profiles, providing evidence on how UPFWL, independent of nutrient content, can alter purchase intent, identification of UPFs and perceived healthfulness.

Study Details

This randomized controlled online experiment will test whether adding an ultra-processed food (UPF) warning label to the FDA's proposed Nutrition Information Box (NIB) changes consumer perceptions of UPFs among a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. Participants will be randomized to one of four label conditions and will evaluate four UPF yogurt products with different nutritional profiles on the NIB. The primary outcome is purchase intent and the secondary outcomes are perceived healthfulness, perceived usefulness and correct identification of UPF products. This experiment aims to answer the following questions: Do UPF warning labels reduce purchase intentions compared to the NIB alone? Do UPF warning labels reduce perceived healthfulness compared to the NIB alone? Do UPF warning labels help more consumers correctly identify products as ultra-processed compared to the NIB alone? Do different UPF warning label color designs differ in effectiveness at reducing purchase intentions, lowering perceived healthfulness, and improving correct identification of UPFs? Researchers will compare outcomes across the four randomized arms to estimate the independent effect of adding UPF warnings beyond nutrient disclosure in the NIB alone.

Key Dates

Start date
Apr 13, 2026
Status verified
May 2026
Primary completion
May 21, 2026
Completion
May 21, 2026

Study Design

Enrollment
7,000 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION

Arms

  • Active Comparator: Control
    NIB only
  • Experimental: NIB + UPFWL 1
    NIB + UPF Warning Label Yellow
  • Experimental: NIB + UPFWL 2
    NIB + UPF Warning Label Red
  • Experimental: NIB + UPFWL 3
    NIB + UPF Warning Label Black

Primary Outcome Measure

Purchase Intent [ Time Frame: Immediately after label exposure ]

Central Contacts

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthBaltimoreMaryland21205
Nina Carr, MPH, MBA
[email protected]
240-405-2823
Daphne A Barquera, MD (SUB_INVESTIGATOR)

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Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health· Baltimore, MD

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