Seeing is believing: How front-of-pack food imagery shapes parents' perceptions of child-oriented snack foods

Child-oriented snack foods often display front-of-pack images suggesting they are natural or wholesome, yet many of these products are ultra-processed and nutrient poor. This study investigated parent's perceptions in response to common forms of front-of-pack food imagery on child-orientated snacks. An online experiment comprising four between-subjects food image conditions (no image; food photo; food cartoon; cartoon of children gardening) and two within-subjects snack type conditions (fruit; vegetable) was conducted with N = 800 Australian adult parents/guardians of children aged 4-10 years. Participants viewed packaged snacks then rated them on visual appeal, perceived healthfulness, suitability for their child, and purchase intentions. For each outcome, 4 (between-subjects) x 2 (within-subjects) mixed ANOVAs were performed, with significant main effects explored using post-hoc pairwise t-tests with Bonferroni adjustment. The extent to which perception metrics predicted purchase intention within each condition was examined using multiple regression analyses. Participants perceived snacks displaying food photographs as healthier compared to all other conditions. When children's snacks displayed food photos, participants perceived the snack as more suitable for their child and showed stronger intentions to purchase the product than when cartoon children were displayed. Participants preferred fruit over vegetable snacks across all metrics, particularly when the picture was photorealistic. Visual appeal was the only perception metric that consistently predicted purchase intention across conditions. Findings provide clear evidence that parent's perceptions and purchase intentions towards children's snack foods are enhanced by pictures displayed on the packaging. Policy to regulate food packaging should require that foods depicted on the packaging accurately reflect product ingredients, particularly where whole foods are represented, and the actual ingredients are highly processed and no longer provide the nutrition of whole foods.