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Children Accept Products Reformulated to be Healthier From a Mexican Food Assistance Program: A Basic Qualitative
Vania Lara-Mejía1, Yatziri Ayvar-Gama1, Carlos Cruz-Casarrubias1
1Center for Health and Nutrition Research, National Institute of Public Health México, Cuernavaca, Morelos, México.
Objective:
To describe children's experiences with the sensory characteristics of reformulated cereal products delivered by the School Breakfast Program (SBP) in Mexico following the implementation of package warning labeling regulations.
Methods:
We conducted a basic descriptive qualitative study involving focus groups of 40 SBP beneficiary children from rural schools recruited through convenience sampling. The data were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using qualitative content analysis.
Results:
Children presented positive experiences regarding the visual (eg, animal shapes), textural (eg, nonsticky texture), and taste (eg, peanut and amaranth combination) characteristics of reformulated SBP products. As the SBP products had no labels or warning legends, they were considered nutritious and healthy.
Conclusions And Implications:
The results provide preliminary evidence that children accept food products reformulated to be healthier without warning labels or legends. Understanding children's sensory experiences is crucial for identifying gaps and opportunities to ensure SBP operations.
