(P28-001-24) Exploring Protein Dietary Guidance Statements: A Consumer-Centric Pilot Study

Objectives: The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Dietary Guidance Statements (DGS) are intended to act as quick signals on the front of packages, or in written, printed or graphic materials that accompany a food, to help consumers better understand how an individual food or food group may contribute to or help maintain a nutritious dietary pattern. Our objective was to understand how exposure to DGS related to animal protein foods impact purchase motivation and claim believability by protein type.

Methods: In August 2023, the Consumer & Shopper Insights Innovation Practice of Circana, Inc., tested 6 DGS claims for 5 protein types among 1,002 nationally representative household primary grocery shoppers aged 18-64 years old (494M, 503F, 3NB). Participants were then subjected to a survey that assessed purchase motivation, believability, and willingness to pay more based on DGS claims in their prediction market.

Results: The most motivating and believable message that was consistent across all protein types was the DGS of, “The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends eating 5½ ounces of protein food per day as part of a nutritious dietary pattern. [protein type] is a lean meat that provides 3 ounces of protein food per serving. *Based on a 2,000-calorie diet." Over one-third felt this DGS was the most motivating because it was informative, it contained stats/facts, and mentions the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. DGS for pork tenderloin and turkey breast were significantly more believable than plant-based meat (p < 0.10). Over 50% of participants were willing to pay at least 5% or more across the DGS and protein types.

Conclusions: Across all proteins, being informative was the highest ranked contributing reason that DGS were more believable and motivating. Uniform adoption of DGS across proteins allows for equal representation of how a variety of protein foods can contribute to a nutritious dietary pattern.

Funding Sources: This work was funded by the National Pork Board.