The Prevalence of Competing and Complementary Claims on U.S. Food Product Packaging: A Case Study of Claims on Milk and Yogurt

Food products sold at retail stores may carry a variety of claims on packaging, including claims about human health (low fat), environmental stewardship (USDA Organic), and the types of inputs used in making the food (non-genetically modified organism or non-GMO). This study examines which claims appeared most frequently on fluid milk and yogurt product packaging, the number of claims that appeared on products, which ones were complementary (appearing together), and which ones competed for consumers’ attention (appearing on separate products). Emphasis is placed on claims related to farm production methods. Label Insight and Circana (formerly IRI) data for 2022 were used to conduct the study. Claims that a product is USDA Organic certified were found on 10.9 percent of fluid milk products and 8.9 percent of yogurt products. Organic products were also more likely to contain animal welfare and non-GMO claims than conventional fluid milk and yogurt products. Natural food claims were more common than organic claims and commonly appeared with hormone-free claims. Complementary claims fell into two groups: Verified claims that required farmers, suppliers, or retailers to incur some expenses appeared together, and claims that required little or no new activities or costs appeared together. The two groups rarely overlapped.