CONSUMER PERCEPTIONS OF HEALTH CLAIMS IN ADVERTISEMENTS AND ON FOOD LABELS

It has been hypothesized that consumers are more skeptical of health c laims made in food ads than of health claims made on food labels. Ther efore, the current research explores consumers' skepticism of health c laims when the source of such claims is identified as a food ad or a f ood label. The study also examines whether consumers' beliefs are affe cted by nutrition information on food labels and whether health claims that have been challenged by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and b y consumer groups are more likely to affect consumers' beliefs than ar e unchallenged health claims. The findings have implications for under standing the role of education in reducing consumer misperceptions of health claims.