Diet, HealthyNCT06842693
Testing Non-nutritive Sweetener Labels in Chile
A study testing Chilean non-nutritive sweetener label and Colombian non-nutritive sweetener label in people with Diet, Healthy, run by University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The goal of this experiment is to examine the effects of 2 types of non-nutritive sweetener (NNS) warning labels among a sample of Chilean parents. The main questions this experiment aims to answer are: Do non-nutritive sweetener warning labels improve consumers' ability to identify when a product contains… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Diet, Healthy
- What is being tested?
- Chilean non-nutritive sweetener label and Colombian non-nutritive sweetener label
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 3,916 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 14 Jul 2025to 31 Aug 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- 18 years or older
- Parent or guardian of child between 2-14 years old who has never been diagnosed with diabetes, high blood sugar, pre-diabetes or insulin resistance
- Residing in Chile
Who cannot join
- Less than 18 years old
- Not parent or guardian of child between 2-14 years old who has never been diagnosed with diabetes, high blood sugar, pre-diabetes or insulin resistance
- Not residing in Chile
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Gillings School of Global Public Health
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599
About this study
Official title: Evaluating Chile's Proposed Non-nutritive Sweeteners Warning Label Regulation
The goal of this experiment is to examine the effects of 2 types of non-nutritive sweetener (NNS) warning labels among a sample of Chilean parents. The main questions this experiment aims to answer are:
Do non-nutritive sweetener warning labels improve consumers' ability to identify when a product contains non-nutritive sweeteners?
Read more
Do non-nutritive sweetener warning labels impact on consumers' selection of non-nutritive sweetener-sweetened, unsweetened, and/or sugar-sweetened products for their children?
Participants will be randomly assigned to 1 of 3 types of labels and view their assigned label on 3 sets of products. Each set will display 4 similar products: one unsweetened, one sweetened with sugar, one sweetened with non-nutritive sweeteners, and one sweetened with both sugar and non-nutritive sweeteners. For each set, participants will identify which product(s) contain NNS and select the product that they would purchase for their child. Researchers will compare results across label types.
Read the detailed description
Participants will complete an online randomized experiment programmed in Qualtrics. After providing informed consent, participants will be randomly assigned to view 1 of 3 types of labels: a neutral control label, a rectangular label stating "contains non-nutritive sweeteners, not recommended for children" (i.e., Chilean NNS label), or an octagonal label stating "contains non-nutritive sweeteners" (i.e., Colombian NNS label).
Participants will view their assigned label on 4 similar products (one unsweetened, one sweetened with sugar, one sweetened with non-nutritive sweeteners, and one sweetened with both sugar and non-nutritive sweeteners) displayed in random order and complete a task where they identify which product(s) contain non-nutritive sweeteners and select one of the products to purchase for their child. During this task, in all arms, products will also display Chile's current nutrient warning labels when applicable. This task will be repeated 3 times, each time with a different product category (i.e., fruit drinks, yogurts, breakfast cereals), with categories displayed in random order.
After the selection/identification tasks, participants will view their assigned labels on 2 products containing non-nutritive sweeteners (i.e., flavored milk and cereal bar). For each product, participants will rate the perceived message effectiveness of the label and perceived product healthfulness. Lastly, after all product exposures, participants will rate their intentions to limit their child's non-nutritive sweetener consumption.
- Conditions
- Diet, Healthy
- Being tested
- Control, Chilean non-nutritive sweetener label, Colombian non-nutritive sweetener label
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
ControlBehavioural
Products carry neutral control label when containing non-nutritive sweeteners. Additionally, to match the current Chilean legislation, products carry an octagonal label that states "high in sugar" when high in added sugars, and/or an octagonal label that states "high in calories" when high in calorie density.
Chilean non-nutritive sweetener labelBehavioural
Products carry rectangular label that states "contains non-nutritive sweeteners, not recommended for children" when containing non-nutritive sweeteners. Additionally, to match the current Chilean legislation, products carry an octagonal label that states "high in sugar" when high in added sugars, and/or an octagonal label that states "high in calories" when high in calorie density.
Colombian non-nutritive sweetener labelBehavioural
Products carry octagonal label that states "contains non-nutritive sweeteners " when containing non-nutritive sweeteners. Additionally, to match the current Chilean legislation, products carry an octagonal label that states "high in sugar" when high in added sugars, and/or an octagonal label that states "high in calories" when high in calorie density.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Control | Active comparator | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Control |
| Chilean non-nutritive sweetener label | Experimental | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Chilean non-nutritive sweetener label |
| Colombian non-nutritive sweetener label | Experimental | Not described Receives: Behavioral: Colombian non-nutritive sweetener label |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Correct identification of non-nutritive sweetener containing products
Correct identification of products that contain non-nutritive sweeteners will be measured by survey. Response will be coded in a dichotomous 0-1 range, where 1 indicates that the participant correctly identified the products that contained non-nutritive sweeteners and 0 indicates that the participant did not correctly identify the products that contained non-nutritive sweeteners.
Measured: During exposure to intervention (i.e., study stimuli), assessed during one-time online 10-minute survey.
Selection of non-nutritive sweetener-sweetened product for purchase
Selection of sugar-sweetened product for purchase will be measured by survey. Response will be coded in a dichotomous 0-1 range, where 1 indicates that the participant chose one of the non-nutritive sweetener-sweetened products and 0 indicates that the participants selected one of the other two products.
Measured: During exposure to intervention (i.e., study stimuli), assessed during one-time online 10-minute survey.
Selection of unsweetened product for purchase
Selection of unsweetened product for purchase will be measured by survey. Response will be coded in a dichotomous 0-1 range, where 1 indicates that the participant chose the unsweetened product and 0 indicates that the participants selected one of the other three products.
Measured: During exposure to intervention (i.e., study stimuli), assessed during one-time online 10-minute survey.
Selection of sugar-sweetened product for purchase
Selection of sugar-sweetened product for purchase will be measured by survey. Response will be coded in a dichotomous 0-1 range, where 1 indicates that the participant chose one of the sugar-sweetened products and 0 indicates that the participants selected one of the other two products.
Measured: During exposure to intervention (i.e., study stimuli), assessed during one-time online 10-minute survey.
Secondary outcomes (4)
Perceived message effectiveness, mean score
Perceived message effectiveness will be measured by survey through a three-item scale. Items will inquire about how much participants perceive the label to (1) discourage them from wanting to buy products with non-nutritive sweeteners for their child, (2) makes them concerned about the health effects of their child consuming products with non-nutritive sweeteners, and (3) makes buying products with non-nutritive sweeteners for their child seem unpleasant to them. Response options will be on a 5-point scale between "not at all" (coded as 1) and "very much" (coded as 5), with higher scores representing a higher perceived message effectiveness. Each participant's responses to each item will be combined to obtain their final score on the outcome.
Measured: During exposure to intervention (i.e., study stimuli), assessed during one-time online 10-minute survey.
Perceived product healthfulness, mean score
How good or bad for participants' children it would be to consume the product every day will be measured by survey. Response options will be on a 5-point scale between "very bad" (coded as 1) and "very good" (coded as 5), with higher scores representing a higher perceived product healthfulness.
Measured: During exposure to intervention (i.e., study stimuli), assessed during one-time online 10-minute survey.
Relative product healthfulness, mean score
How healthy participants perceive the non-nutritive sweetener-containing product to be compared to the version of the product that contains added sugars will be measured by survey. Response options will be on a 5-point scale between "much less healthy" (coded as 1) and "much healthier" (coded as 5), with higher scores representing a higher comparative product healthfulness.
Measured: During exposure to intervention (i.e., study stimuli), assessed during one-time online 10-minute survey.
Intentions to limit non-nutritive sweetener consumption, mean score
How much participants intend to limit their child's consumption of non-nutritive sweeteners in the next week will be measured by survey. Response options will be on a 5-point scale between "not at all" (coded as 1) and "very much" (coded as 5), with higher scores representing a higher intention to limit consumption.
Measured: After exposure to intervention (i.e., study stimuli), assessed during one-time online 10-minute survey.
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted24 Feb 2025
- Study start14 Jul 2025
- Primary completion31 Aug 2025
- Study completion31 Aug 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Diet, HealthyStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 3,916 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Instituto de Nutrición y Tecnología de los Alimentos, Bloomberg Philanthropies
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Lindsey Smith Taillie, PhD, Principal investigator, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06842693
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 24-2896a
- Other IDs
- 24-2205
- Status last verified
- Apr 2025
- First submitted
- 18 Feb 2025
- Last updated
- 9 Sep 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: The Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan will be shared prior to data collection. After data collection and analysis, a de-identified version of individual participant data and the analytic code will be shared through the Open Science Framework (OSF).
Publications
D'Angelo Campos A, Smith Taillie L, Sylvetsky AC, Rebolledo N. Warning Labels for Nonnutritive Sweeteners: A Randomized Controlled Trial with Chilean Parents. Curr Dev Nutr. 2026 Jul 25;10(9):109463. doi: 10.1016/j.cdnut.2026.109463. eCollection 2026 Sep.
PubMed 42633229
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 9 Sep 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Evaluating Chile's Proposed Non-nutritive Sweeteners Warning Label Regulation
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06842693
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 24-2896a
- Conditions
- Diet, Healthy
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 3,916 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of North Carolina, Chapel HillUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Instituto de Nutrición y Tecnología de los Alimentos, Bloomberg Philanthropies
- Study start
- 14 Jul 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 Aug 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 31 Aug 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 24 Feb 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this experiment is to examine the effects of 2 types of non-nutritive sweetener (NNS) warning labels among a sample of Chilean parents. The main questions this experiment aims to answer are:
Do non-nutritive sweetener warning labels improve consumers' ability to identify when a product contains non-nutritive sweeteners?
Do non-nutritive sweetener warning labels impact on consumers' selection of non-nutritive sweetener-sweetened, unsweetened, and/or sugar-sweetened products for their children?
Participants will be randomly assigned to 1 of 3 types of labels and view their assigned label on 3 sets of products. Each set will display 4 similar products: one unsweetened, one sweetened with sugar, one sweetened with non-nutritive sweeteners, and one sweetened with both sugar and non-nutritive sweeteners. For each set, participants will identify which product(s) contain NNS and select the product that they would purchase for their child. Researchers will compare results across label types.
Detailed description
Participants will complete an online randomized experiment programmed in Qualtrics. After providing informed consent, participants will be randomly assigned to view 1 of 3 types of labels: a neutral control label, a rectangular label stating "contains non-nutritive sweeteners, not recommended for children" (i.e., Chilean NNS label), or an octagonal label stating "contains non-nutritive sweeteners" (i.e., Colombian NNS label).
Participants will view their assigned label on 4 similar products (one unsweetened, one sweetened with sugar, one sweetened with non-nutritive sweeteners, and one sweetened with both sugar and non-nutritive sweeteners) displayed in random order and complete a task where they identify which product(s) contain non-nutritive sweeteners and select one of the products to purchase for their child. During this task, in all arms, products will also display Chile's current nutrient warning labels when applicable. This task will be repeated 3 times, each time with a different product category (i.e., fruit drinks, yogurts, breakfast cereals), with categories displayed in random order.
After the selection/identification tasks, participants will view their assigned labels on 2 products containing non-nutritive sweeteners (i.e., flavored milk and cereal bar). For each product, participants will rate the perceived message effectiveness of the label and perceived product healthfulness. Lastly, after all product exposures, participants will rate their intentions to limit their child's non-nutritive sweetener consumption.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Control | Active comparator | Behavioral: Control |
| Chilean non-nutritive sweetener label | Experimental | Behavioral: Chilean non-nutritive sweetener label |
| Colombian non-nutritive sweetener label | Experimental | Behavioral: Colombian non-nutritive sweetener label |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- 18 years or older
- Parent or guardian of child between 2-14 years old who has never been diagnosed with diabetes, high blood sugar, pre-diabetes or insulin resistance
- Residing in Chile
Key exclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Less than 18 years old
- Not parent or guardian of child between 2-14 years old who has never been diagnosed with diabetes, high blood sugar, pre-diabetes or insulin resistance
- Not residing in Chile
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| ControlProducts carry neutral control label when containing non-nutritive sweeteners. Additionally, to match the current Chilean legislation, products carry an octagonal label that states "high in sugar" when high in added sugars, and/or an octagonal label that states "high in calories" when high in calorie density. | Behavioural | Control |
| Chilean non-nutritive sweetener labelProducts carry rectangular label that states "contains non-nutritive sweeteners, not recommended for children" when containing non-nutritive sweeteners. Additionally, to match the current Chilean legislation, products carry an octagonal label that states "high in sugar" when high in added sugars, and/or an octagonal label that states "high in calories" when high in calorie density. | Behavioural | Chilean non-nutritive sweetener label |
| Colombian non-nutritive sweetener labelProducts carry octagonal label that states "contains non-nutritive sweeteners " when containing non-nutritive sweeteners. Additionally, to match the current Chilean legislation, products carry an octagonal label that states "high in sugar" when high in added sugars, and/or an octagonal label that states "high in calories" when high in calorie density. | Behavioural | Colombian non-nutritive sweetener label |
Primary outcome
Correct identification of non-nutritive sweetener containing products
Time frame: During exposure to intervention (i.e., study stimuli), assessed during one-time online 10-minute survey.
Correct identification of products that contain non-nutritive sweeteners will be measured by survey. Response will be coded in a dichotomous 0-1 range, where 1 indicates that the participant correctly identified the products that contained non-nutritive sweeteners and 0 indicates that the participant did not correctly identify the products that contained non-nutritive sweeteners.
Selection of non-nutritive sweetener-sweetened product for purchase
Time frame: During exposure to intervention (i.e., study stimuli), assessed during one-time online 10-minute survey.
Selection of sugar-sweetened product for purchase will be measured by survey. Response will be coded in a dichotomous 0-1 range, where 1 indicates that the participant chose one of the non-nutritive sweetener-sweetened products and 0 indicates that the participants selected one of the other two products.
Selection of unsweetened product for purchase
Time frame: During exposure to intervention (i.e., study stimuli), assessed during one-time online 10-minute survey.
Selection of unsweetened product for purchase will be measured by survey. Response will be coded in a dichotomous 0-1 range, where 1 indicates that the participant chose the unsweetened product and 0 indicates that the participants selected one of the other three products.
Selection of sugar-sweetened product for purchase
Time frame: During exposure to intervention (i.e., study stimuli), assessed during one-time online 10-minute survey.
Selection of sugar-sweetened product for purchase will be measured by survey. Response will be coded in a dichotomous 0-1 range, where 1 indicates that the participant chose one of the sugar-sweetened products and 0 indicates that the participants selected one of the other two products.
4 secondary outcomes
Perceived message effectiveness, mean score
Time frame: During exposure to intervention (i.e., study stimuli), assessed during one-time online 10-minute survey.
Perceived product healthfulness, mean score
Time frame: During exposure to intervention (i.e., study stimuli), assessed during one-time online 10-minute survey.
Relative product healthfulness, mean score
Time frame: During exposure to intervention (i.e., study stimuli), assessed during one-time online 10-minute survey.
Intentions to limit non-nutritive sweetener consumption, mean score
Time frame: After exposure to intervention (i.e., study stimuli), assessed during one-time online 10-minute survey.
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 9 Sep 2025.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 42633229D'Angelo Campos A, Smith Taillie L, Sylvetsky AC, Rebolledo N. Warning Labels for Nonnutritive Sweeteners: A Randomized Controlled Trial with Chilean Parents. Curr Dev Nutr. 2026 Jul 25;10(9):109463. doi: 10.1016/j.cdnut.2026.109463. eCollection 2026 Sep.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. The Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan will be shared prior to data collection. After data collection and analysis, a de-identified version of individual participant data and the analytic code will be shared through the Open Science Framework (OSF).
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Lindsey Smith Taillie, PhD principal investigator
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Chilean non-nutritive sweetener label and Colombian non-nutritive sweetener label in people with Diet, Healthy, run by University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 9 Sep 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Correct identification of non-nutritive sweetener containing products (time frame: During exposure to intervention (i.e., study stimuli), assessed during one-time online 10-minute survey.). The study lists 4 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06842693, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 9 Sep 2025.