Health claims and product endorsements on child-oriented beverages in Guatemala

We sought to describe front-of-package marketing strategies and nutritional quality of child-oriented beverages in Guatemala.

We purchased all child-oriented ready-to-drink fruit drinks, milks and carbonated beverages in three convenience stores and one supermarket in Guatemala City. Front-of-package marketing was defined as the presence of spokes-characters, cartoons, celebrities, or health-related images, words, claims or endorsements on beverage packaging. We used the UK Nutrition Profiling Model (NPM) to classify beverages as healthy or less healthy.

Guatemala City, Guatemala.

We purchased eighty-nine beverages; most were fruit drinks (n 52, 58 %), milk (15, 17 %), carbonated beverages (5, 17 %), rice/soya products (5, 6·0 %), water (1, 1 %) and energy drinks (1, 1 %). Two-thirds (57, 64 %) had health claims. Of those with a nutrition facts label (85, 96 %), nearly all (76, 89 %) were classified as less healthy. No association between the presence of health claims and NPM score (P=0·26) was found. Eight beverages had health-related endorsements. However, only one beverage was classified as healthy.

In this sample of beverages in Guatemala City, health claims and health-related endorsements are used to promote beverages with poor nutritional quality. Our data support evidence-based policies to regulate the use of front-of-package health claims and endorsements based on nutritional quality.