Information, Policy, and the Sources of Fat and Cholesterol in the U.S. Diet

Increasing empirical evidence indicates that consumers are incorporating information linking fat and cholesterol consumption to heart disease and cancer into their basic dietary decisions. The authors analyze food consumption data for individuals to determine which food categories were involved in the overall reductions in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol consumption and whether these categories differed during the periods before and after the change in regulations governing producer health claims. The results indicate that reductions occurred in more food groups during the 1985–1990 period compared with the 1977–1985 period. The evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that producer claims are an important source of detailed information and inconsistent with the hypothesis that the health claims policy led to sufficient deception to slow dietary improvements underway prior to the change.