Changes in Children’s Dietary Intake of Selected Packaged Products Between 2019 and 2021 in the Context of Peru’s Front-of-Package Warning Label Policy: A Longitudinal Cohort Study

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to describe changes in children’s dietary intake of selected packaged food and beverage categories that commonly include products high in sugar, sodium, or saturated fat (HFSS packaged products) between 2019 and 2021, in the context of the implementation of Peru’s front-of-package warning label policy. Methods: A longitudinal panel analysis was conducted in four districts of Lima, Peru. Baseline data were collected face-to-face in 2019 and follow-up data by telephone in 2021. Intake was assessed using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire and converted to daily amounts. Energy and nutrient estimates (total sugars, saturated fatty acids, sodium) were derived from product labels corresponding to each study period. Changes between 2019 and 2021 were tested using McNemar tests and quantile regression; analyses were run in Stata v.17. Results: Of 1283 mothers of children aged 3–5 years enrolled at baseline, 1032 completed follow-up (80.4%). Between 2019 and 2021 the prevalence of consumption decreased for some categories, including breakfast cereals and bars (78% to 63%, p < 0.001) and desserts (50% to 32%, p < 0.001), while it increased for others. Median daily energy intake per consumer from food and beverages decreased from 487.3 to 373.2 kcal (p < 0.001). Median total sugar intake decreased from 45.1 to 31.4 g/day, and sodium from 469.4 to 399.4 mg/day (both p < 0.001); saturated fatty acids showed a small decline (8.4 to 7.0 g/day, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Among participating children, estimated energy and nutrient intake from the selected HFSS packaged products declined overall, although changes varied across categories. These findings document temporal changes in the context of FOPWL implementation but cannot isolate the contribution of the policy from other concurrent factors.