Health claims increase snack consumption through reduced guilt and perceived healthiness.

BACKGROUND: Front-of-pack health claims such as "low-fat" and "high-protein" may influence eating behavior by altering perceived healthiness and feelings of guilt, potentially leading to increased food intake. METHODS: An acute, single-session randomized, controlled, between-subjects laboratory experiment was conducted with 60 adults (18-35 y) assigned to low-fat, high-protein, or control conditions (n = 20/group). Participants consumed identical snacks ad libitum. The primary short-term outcome was snack intake (grams); secondary outcomes included perceived healthiness, guilt, and purchase intention. Analyses included ANOVA, correlation, and random forest regression with SHAP interpretation. RESULTS: Snack consumption was highest in the low-fat group (67.3 ± 18.1 g), followed by high-protein (61.4 ± 16.7 g) and control (49.8 ± 15.9 g). Consumption was positively correlated with perceived healthiness (r = 0.42) and negatively with guilt (r = -0.39) (P < 0.01). Health-labeled snacks were perceived as healthier and elicited lower guilt. In the random forest regression model, SHAP values identified perceived healthiness (0.36), low-fat labeling (0.32), and guilt (0.28) as the strongest predictors of intake. CONCLUSIONS: Health-related front-of-pack claims may acutely increase snack consumption by enhancing perceived healthiness and reducing guilt. These short-term findings highlight potential unintended consequences of health-oriented labeling and underscore the need for careful regulatory oversight and larger confirmatory trials.