NSS Grocery Store Brazil

Effects of a Non-sugar Sweetener Label on Parents' Selection of Foods and Beverages in Brazil: a Randomized Clinical Trial.

The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of non-sugar sweeteners (NSS) front-of-package labels (FOPL) on Brazilian parents' food and beverage selections for their children. The study includes three arms: 1. no NSS FOPL control group, 2. a group exposed to a NSS FOPL modeled after the Mexican warning label for NSS, and 3. a group exposed to a NSS FOPL using the magnifying glass symbol currently implemented in Brazil for nutrients of public health concern. Participants will be instructed to select products for their child, including one yogurt, three beverages (for breakfast, lunch, and dinner), one granola, and one cereal bar.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Control Group; Mexico-based NSS FOPL; Brazil-based NSS FOPL
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Experimental : Mexico-based NSS FOPL; Other: Experimental : Brazil-based NSS FOPL

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 1068
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Allison C Sylvetsky, PhD; Phone Number: +1 202-994-9412; Email: asylvets@email.gwu.edu
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Mariana Fagundes Grilo, MHP; Email: marianafg@gwu.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • District of Columbia
    • Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States, 20037
      • Recruiting
      • Milken Institute School of Public Health
      • Contact: Allison X Sylvetsky, PI; Phone Number: 202-994-9412; Email: asylvets@email.gwu.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Eligible participants include:

• Adults aged 20 years or older,
• Living in Brazil
• Parents or guardians of children between 2 and 12 years old
• Primarily responsible for the household grocery shopping (more than 50%)
• Can read and understand Portuguese

Recruitment will occur nationwide through an online panel, with quotas for education, race, and geographic distribution to approximate the national profile.

Individuals will be excluded if

• Not a parent or guardian of a child aged 2-12 years
• Younger than 20 years
• Not primarily responsible for more than half of the household grocery shopping
• Unable to read or understand Portuguese
• Do not provide informed consent.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control; Participants view the online store without any non-sugar sweetener front-of-package label
Experimental: Mexico-based NSS FOPL; Participants view the online store with the Mexican-style non-sugar sweetener front-of-package label on eligible products	Other: Experimental : Mexico-based NSS FOPL; Participants view the online store with the Mexican-style non-sugar sweetener front-of-package label on eligible products
Experimental: Brazil-based NSS FOPL; Participants view the online store with the magnifying glass non-sugar sweetener front-of-package label like the one used in Brazil	Other: Experimental : Brazil-based NSS FOPL; Participants view the online store with the magnifying glass non-sugar sweetener front-of-package label like the one used in Brazil

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Percentage of products selected that are unsweetened or low in added sugars	Selection of products that do not contain NSS or added sugars, or that contain added sugars below the FOPL threshold (i.e., less than 10 g per 100 g) for granola and cereal bars.	Day 1

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Percentage of products selected that contain NSS and high added sugars	Selection of products containing both NSS and are high in added sugars, defined as those displaying the FOPL for added sugars (i.e., more than 7.5 g per 100 ml for liquids, and more than 10 g per 100 g for foods).	Day 1

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: George Washington University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 15, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 15, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 21, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): November 25, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 15, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 13, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: FWA00005945

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No