Children’s understandings and motivations surrounding novelty sweets: a qualitative study KATE F. STEWART 1 , RUTH M. FAIRCHILD 2 , RHIANNON J. JONES 3 , LINDSAY HUNTER 3 , CAROLE HARRIS 4 & MARIA Z. MORGAN 3 1 University of Nottingham, Medical School at Derby, Royal Derby Hospital, Derby, 2 Food Research Consultancy Unit, School of Health Sciences, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff, 3 Applied Clinical Research and Public Health, Cardiff University School of Dentistry, Cardiff, and 4 DCP Training and Education Centre, School of Dentistry, Cardiff, UK International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry 2012; 00: 00 –00 Background. Novelty sweets resemble or can be used as toys, are brightly coloured, with striking imagery, and sold at pocket money prices. They encourage regular consumption as packaging can be resealed, leading to prolonged exposure of these high-sugar and low pH products to the oral tissues, risk factors for dental caries and erosion, respectively. Aim. To determine how children conceptualise novelty sweets and their motivations for buying and consuming them. Design. Focus groups conducted using a brief schedule of open-ended questions, supported by novelty sweets used as prompts in the latter stages. Participants were school children (aged 9–10) from purposively selected state primary schools in Cardiff, UK. Results. Key findings related to the routine nature of sweet eating; familiarity with and availability of novelty sweets; parental awareness and control; lack of awareness of health consequences; and the overall appeal of novelty sweets. Conclusions. Parents reported vagueness regarding consumption habits and permissiveness about any limits they set may have diluted the concept of treats. Flexible permissiveness to sweet buying applied to sweets of all kinds. Parents’ reported lack of familiarity with novelty sweets combined with their low cost, easy availability, high sugar content, and acidity give cause for concern. Introduction The global confectionery market is one of the most mature sectors of the food and drink industry, worth an estimated $127.9 billion in 2008 1 . The children’s confectionery sector remains a main area for product innovation especially in terms of flavour and packaging; Flashin Lix Candy, a notable example of nov- elty sweets, combines a sweet/sour flavour with a lollipop that lights up when licked, is popular in many parts of the world. The UK is one of the world’s major consumers of confectionery. Sales of sugar confectionery rose 3–3.5% between 2005 and 2006 to reach nearly £1.2 billion. Further- more, was predicted that this market would increase by 9% at current prices over the 2007–2012 period, rising to an estimated £1.3 billion by 2012 2 . Children are specifically targeted by confec- tionery industry marketing as they strongly influence household purchases and have potential as ‘life-time’ consumers 3 . Kline (1995) has proposed that the marketing of sweets to children shows a degree of ‘adult manipulation’ where children are used as promotional targets 4 . As sweetness is an innate taste, confectionery is inevitably one of the first consumer products that children will have dealings with 5 . Children start being autonomous consumers as early as 2 years of age, often by selecting treats whilst shopping with family members. As they grow up, chil- dren develop more sophisticated decision- making skills and abilities. By the age of 10, they have become ‘analytical’ consumers showing dramatic increases in information processing abilities, which result in a more sophisticated understanding of the market- place. Children are also primed to assume a Correspondence to: Mrs Maria Z. Morgan, Senior Lecturer in Dental Public Health, Applied Clinical Research and Public Health, Cardiff University School of Dentistry, Heath Park, Cardiff CF14 4XY, UK. E-mail: morganmz@cardiff.ac.uk © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd, BSPD and IAPD 1 DOI: 10.1111/ipd.12012