683 - The Prebiotic Promise: Gap Between Marketing Claims and Nutritional Reality in Children's Food Products

Publication Number: 4668.683

Jack P. Brenner, Northwell Health, Lake Success, NY, United States; Lillian M. Ravikoff, Northwell Health, Bronx, NY, United States; Joseph Mekhail, Northwell Health, New York, NY, United States; Caroline Howard, Northwell Health, New York, NY, United States; Evan Goodman, Northwell Health, New Hyde Park, NY, United States; Ruth Milanaik, Northwell Health, Great Neck, NY, United States

Background: Prebiotics are a category of dietary fibers that nourish probiotic bacteria in the gut and can provide benefits to gut health when consumed in quantities of greater than or equal to 3 g. In recent years, the advertisement of "prebiotic" ingredients in pediatric food products has become a marketing trend. However, it is often unclear whether these products contain enough prebiotic fiber to generate health benefits, or whether any potential health benefit is offset by high added sugar content.

Objective: To assess the nutritional benefits and potential harms of food products marketed to pediatric populations as prebiotic.

Design/Methods: 99 children's food products from 30 brands that are marketed as containing prebiotics were identified for analysis. For each product, the following data were collected: product name, brand, total fiber per serving, prebiotic fiber per serving, whether the 3 g prebiotic benchmark was met, added sugar per serving, and cost per serving. Data were collected first from product packaging, then from manufacturer webpages, and finally by directly emailing or calling the manufacturers when information was not publicly available. 23 products from 10 brands were excluded because the brand either could not be reached or could not verify prebiotic content.

Results: Of the 76 products with complete information, 73% met the benchmark criteria of at least 3 g of prebiotic fiber per serving. The average cost per serving across all products was $2.25. Products meeting the 3 g benchmark averaged $2.02 per serving, whereas products not meeting the benchmark averaged $2.93 per serving. A mixed-effects logistic regression with a random intercept for brand was used to examine whether added sugar content and cost per serving were associated with meeting the benchmark. Products with higher added sugar content were less likely to meet the prebiotic benchmark (p < 0.001) [Figure 1]. Cost per serving was not associated with benchmark status (p=0.77). Residual variation was partly explained by brand-level differences, as some brands contributed only a single product while others contributed up to 18 products.

Conclusion(s): Prebiotics are frequently highlighted in the marketing of pediatric food products, yet a notable proportion of products do not contain sufficient prebiotic fiber to confer likely benefit or do not provide enough information for consumers to verify prebiotic content. Greater transparency in labeling, including the amount and source of prebiotic fiber, and clearer guidance on acceptable added sugar levels are necessary to help caregivers make informed choices.

Figure 1: Added Sugar by Benchmark Status
The benchmark is greater than or equal to 3 g fiber per serving. (Y) Benchmark status met (N) Benchmark status not met