Application of the British Food Standards Agency nutrient profiling system in a French food composition database

Nutrient profiling systems are powerful tools for public health initiatives, as they aim at categorising foods according to their nutritional quality. The British Food Standards Agency (FSA) nutrient profiling system (FSA score) has been validated in a British food database, but the application of the model in other contexts has not yet been evaluated. The objective of the present study was to assess the application of the British FSA score in a French food composition database. Foods from the French NutriNet-Santé study food composition table were categorised according to their FSA score using the Office of Communication (OfCom) cut-off value (‘healthier’ ≤ 4 for foods and ≤ 1 for beverages; ‘less healthy’ >4 for foods and >1 for beverages) and distribution cut-offs (quintiles for foods, quartiles for beverages). Foods were also categorised according to the food groups used for the French Programme National Nutrition Santé (PNNS) recommendations. Foods were weighted according to their relative consumption in a sample drawn from the NutriNet-Santé study (n 4225), representative of the French population. Classification of foods according to the OfCom cut-offs was consistent with food groups described in the PNNS: 97·8 % of fruit and vegetables, 90·4 % of cereals and potatoes and only 3·8 % of sugary snacks were considered as ‘healthier’. Moreover, variability in the FSA score allowed for a discrimination between subcategories in the same food group, confirming the possibility of using the FSA score as a multiple category system, for example as a basis for front-of-pack nutrition labelling. Application of the FSA score in the French context would adequately complement current public health recommendations.

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Evaluation of Alignment between the Health Claims Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criterion (NPSC) and the Health Star Rating (HSR) Nutrient Profiling Models

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu10081065 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 1065 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Elizabeth Dunford ◽

Liping Huang ◽

Sanne Peters ◽

Michelle Crino ◽

Bruce Neal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Edible Oils ◽

Food Group ◽

Food Composition ◽

Health Claims ◽

Food Groups ◽

Health Claim ◽

Star Rating ◽

Nutrition Labelling ◽

Nutrient Profiling ◽

Scoring Algorithms

In Australia, manufacturers can use two government-endorsed approaches to advertise product healthiness: the Health Star Rating (HSR) front-of-pack nutrition labelling system, and health claims. Related, but different, algorithms determine the star rating of a product (the HSR algorithm) and eligibility to display claims (the Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criterion (NPSC) algorithm). The objective of this study was to examine the agreement between the HSR and NPSC algorithms. Food composition information for 41,297 packaged products was extracted from The George Institute’s FoodSwitch database. HSR and the NPSC scores were calculated, and the proportion of products in each HSR category that were eligible to display a health claim under the NPSC was examined. The highest agreement between the HSR scoring algorithm and the NPSC threshold to determine eligibility to display a health claim was at the HSR cut-off of 3.5 stars (k = 0.83). Overall, 97.3% (n = 40,167) of products with star ratings of 3.5 or higher were also eligible to display a health claim, and 94.3% (n = 38,939) of products with star ratings less than 3.5 were ineligible to display a health claim. The food group with greatest divergence was “edible oils”, with 45% products (n = 342) with HSR >3.5, but 64% (n = 495) eligible to display a claim. Categories with large absolute numbers of products with HSR <3.5, but eligible to display a claim, were “yoghurts and yoghurt drinks” (335 products, 25.4%) and “soft drinks” (299 products, 29.7%). Categories with a large number of products with HSR ≥3.5, but ineligible to display a claim, were “milk” (260 products, 21.2%) and “nuts and seeds” (173 products, 19.7%). We conclude that there is good agreement between the HSR and the NPSC systems overall, but divergence in some food groups is likely to result in confusion for consumers, particularly where foods with low HSRs are eligible to display a health claim. The alignment of the NPSC and HSR scoring algorithms should be improved.

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A Dissenter's Journey

Annual Review of Nutrition ◽

10.1146/annurev-nutr-101220-114101 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 41 (1) ◽

Author(s):

W. Philip T. James

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Annual Review ◽

Spongiform Encephalopathy ◽

Publication Date ◽

Policy Makers ◽

Tony Blair ◽

Public Health Policies ◽

Food Standards ◽

Health Initiatives ◽

The Caribbean

After I studied medicine, my career took an early and unusual course when I was offered a clinical research post in Jamaica dealing with childhood malnutrition, of which I knew nothing. My subsequent nutritional explorations allowed gastrointestinal and metabolic analyses to have an impact on several public health policies. The biggest challenges came from unexpected political demands: coping with poor school performers in the Caribbean; addressing UK public health initiatives in health education; breaking the siege of Sarajevo; developing a Food Standards Agency as a sudden need for Tony Blair as incoming prime minister; dealing with widespread bovine spongiform encephalopathy in Europe; and responding to a United Nations request to assess global malnutrition. This last task revealed the need for a lifelong approach to nutrition, which also encompassed pregnancy. But perhaps the biggest challenge was establishing the criteria for obesity assessment, management, and prevention for policy makers across the globe. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Nutrition, Volume 41 is September 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

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The Relative Caloric Prices of Healthy and Unhealthy Foods Differ Systematically across Income Levels and Continents

Journal of Nutrition ◽

10.1093/jn/nxz158 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 149 (11) ◽

pp. 2020-2033 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

Derek D Headey ◽

Harold H Alderman

Keyword(s):

Soft Drink ◽

Food Group ◽

Food Composition ◽

Food Prices ◽

Future Research ◽

Food Groups ◽

Relative Prices ◽

Income Levels ◽

Food Composition Tables ◽

Overweight Prevalence

ABSTRACT Background Relative prices of healthy/unhealthy foods have been implicated in the obesity epidemic, but never extensively quantified across countries or empirically linked to undernutrition. Objectives This study compared relative caloric prices (RCPs) for different food categories across 176 countries and ascertained their associations with dietary indicators and nutrition outcomes. Methods We converted prices for 657 standardized food products from the 2011 International Comparison Program into caloric prices using USDA Food Composition tables. We classified products into 21 specific food groups. We constructed RCPs as the ratio of the 3 cheapest products in each food group, relative to the weighted cost of a basket of starchy staples. We analyzed RCP differences across World Bank income levels and regions and used cross-country regressions to explore associations with Demographic Health Survey dietary indicators for women 15–49 y old and children 12–23 mo old and with WHO indicators of the under-5 stunting prevalence and adult overweight prevalence. Results Most noncereal foods were relatively cheap in high-income countries, including sugar- and fat-rich foods. In lower-income countries, healthy foods were generally expensive, especially most animal-sourced foods and fortified infant cereals (FICs). Higher RCPs for a food predict lower consumption among children for 7 of 9 food groups. Higher milk and FIC prices were positively associated with international child stunting patterns: a 1-SD increase in milk prices was associated with a 2.8 percentage point increase in the stunting prevalence. Similarly, a 1-SD increase in soft drink prices was associated with a reduction in the overweight prevalence of ∼3.6 percentage points. Conclusions Relative food prices vary systematically across countries and partially explain international differences in the prevalences of undernutrition and overweight adults. Future research should focus on how to alter relative prices to achieve better dietary and nutrition outcomes.

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Percentage contribution of reference recipes to Food Groups for Irish and UK Food Based Dietary Guidelines.

Proceedings of The Nutrition Society ◽

10.1017/s0029665120000373 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 79 (OCE2) ◽

Author(s):

Sali Abouhajar ◽

Michael Dolan ◽

Damian O'Kelly ◽

Aileen Kennedy ◽

Katherine Younger ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Healthcare Professionals ◽

Food Group ◽

Food Composition ◽

Dietary Guidelines ◽

Food Groups ◽

High Fat ◽

Median Percentage ◽

Percentage Contribution ◽

Protein Sources ◽

Alternative Protein

AbstractFood Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDG) are a set of recommendations that describe the quantity and types of foods to consume to promote healthy eating and prevent diseases such as obesity. However, when assessing compliance with FBDG, calculating contributions from composite dishes is challenging, since the specific recipe ingredients are often unknown. This project aims to establish proportional contribution of composite dishes to food groups defined by the Irish and UK FBDG. This will facilitate automated assessment of compliance with FBDG for users of novel technology such as Nutritics, a suite of integrated nutrition analysis software tools for healthcare professionals, educators and industries. Territory specific food composition data (n = 3291) for Ireland and the UK were downloaded from the 2015 McCance & Widdowson Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset (CoFIDs). Recipes were identified and classified into groups broadly aligned with the food groups defined in the Healthy Food for Life Ireland and the Eatwell Guide UK. Supplementary recipe details were accessed from McCance & Widdowson 7th Edition book and online resources. Recipes were categorised by recipe type and ingredients were categorised into food groups. Percentage contribution of each food group to the total recipe was calculated. Of the 3,291 foods, 1,108 were classified as recipes, details were available for 138 of these. Of the 138 recipes, there were fruit & vegetable dishes (n = 20), breads, potatoes, pasta and rice dishes (n = 12), meat, fish and alternative protein sources dishes (n = 40), dairy dishes (n = 23), high fat/oil, sugar, salt dishes (n = 43). For fruit & vegetable dishes, the median percentage contribution to the fruit & vegetable food group was 67% (15% min/ 100% max). For breads, potatoes, pasta and rice dishes the median percentage contribution to the breads, potatoes, pasta and rice food group was 53% (17% min/ 89% max). For meat, fish and alternative protein sources dishes, the median percentage contribution to meat, fish and alternative protein sources food group was 55% (16% min/ 85% max), for dairy dishes, the median percentage contribution to the dairy food group was 90% (53% min/ 96% max). For high fat/oil, sugar, salt dishes the median percentage contribution to the high fat/oil, sugar, salt food group was 22% (3% min/ 97% max). The calculation of recipes into percentage contribution to food groups can support assessment of adherence to FBDG when using reference recipes. This is a useful tool to support healthcare professionals when assessing dietary intake where specific recipe components are unknown.

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Estimation of sodium availability in food in Slovenia: results from household food purchase data from 2000 to 2009

Slovenian Journal of Public Health ◽

10.2478/sjph-2014-0021 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 53 (2) ◽

pp. 209-219 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Cirila Hlastan Ribič ◽

Jožica Maučec Zakotnik ◽

Barbara Koroušić Seljak ◽

Rok Poličnik ◽

Urška Blaznik ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Meat Products ◽

Food Group ◽

Food Composition ◽

Specific Reference ◽

Food Groups ◽

Food Purchase ◽

The Mean ◽

Brown Bread ◽

Total Sodium ◽

Country Specific

Abstract Introduction: The main aim of the study was to estimate average daily sodium availability of Slovenian consumers based on the food purchase data for the period 2000-2009. The secondary aim was to look for food group contributors to sodium availability. Methods: Food purchase records (Household Budget Survey) as well as country-specific reference values and food composition information were used to estimate mean sodium availability of purchased foods (grams of sodium/person/ day - g Na/p/day) as well as food groups and foods with the largest contribution to the total sodium availability. Discussion and results: The mean sodium availability of purchased foods decreased in the period 2000-2009 and was on average 2,104±132 mg Na/p/day, not accounting for ready-made meals, most semi-prepared foods and adding salt during cooking and at the table. The key food group contributors of sodium in Slovenia were breads and bakery products (35.0%), meat products (27.9%), processed vegetables (6.6%) and cheeses (5.3%). Conclusions: Notwithstanding the smaller purchased quantities of higher-sodium foods (e.g. sausages, prosciutto, dry meat, pickled cucumbers) in comparison to larger purchased quantities of the medium-sodium foods (e.g. white bread, mixed bread, brown bread, milk, rolls), both food groups contribute significant amounts of sodium in the diets of Slovenians.

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Restricting the marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children in South Africa: are all nutrient profiling models the same?

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s0007114516004244 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 116 (12) ◽

pp. 2150-2159 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Mariaan Wicks ◽

Hattie Wright ◽

Edelweiss Wentzel-Viljoen

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

South African ◽

Food Packaging ◽

Food Composition ◽

Alcoholic Beverages ◽

Food Marketing ◽

Nutrient Profiling ◽

Composition Table ◽

The Uk ◽

Marketing To Children

AbstractThe WHO has called for governments to improve children’s food environment by implementing restrictions on the marketing of ‘unhealthy’ foods to children. Nutrient profiling (NP) models are used to define ‘unhealthy’ foods and support child-directed food marketing regulations. The aim of the present study was to assess the suitability of the South African NP model (SANPM), developed and validated for health claim regulations, for child-directed food marketing regulations. The SANPM was compared with four NP models specifically developed for such regulations. A representative list of 197 foods was compiled by including all foods advertised on South African free-to-air television channels in 2014 and foods commonly consumed by South African children. The nutritional information of the foods was sourced from food packaging, company websites and a food composition table. Each individual food was classified by each of the five NP models. The percentage of foods that would be allowed according to the different NP models ranged from 6 to 45 %; the models also varied considerably with regard to the type of foods allowed for marketing to children. The majority of the pairwise comparisons between the NP models yieldedκstatistics >0·4, indicating a moderate agreement between the models. An almost perfect pairwise agreement (κ=0·948) existed between the SANPM and the UK Food Standards Agency model (United Kingdom Office of Communication nutrient profiling model), a model extensively tested and validated for such regulations. The SANPM is considered appropriate for child-directed food marketing regulations in South Africa.

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Development and simulated validation of a dish composition database for estimating food group and nutrient intakes in Japan

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980019000600 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 22 (13) ◽

pp. 2367-2380 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Nana Shinozaki ◽

Kentaro Murakami ◽

Shizuko Masayasu ◽

Satoshi Sasaki

Keyword(s):

Dietary Intake ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Food Group ◽

Food Composition ◽

Alcoholic Beverages ◽

Food Groups ◽

Nutrient Intakes ◽

Nutrient Contents ◽

Animal Fats ◽

Dietary Records

AbstractObjective:To develop a dish composition database (DCD) and assess its ability to estimate dietary intake.Design:The DCD was developed based on 16 d dietary records (DR). We aggregated all reported dishes into 128 dish codes and calculated mean food group and nutrient contents for each code. These data were used to calculate dietary intake in a different population that completed a 4 d DR. The estimated values were compared with those estimated using the standard food composition database (FCD) of Japan.Setting:Japan.Participants:A total 252 adults aged 31–81 years for the 16 d DR (3941 d in total) and 392 adults aged 20–69 years for the 4 d DR (1568 d in total) participated.Results:There were significant differences in median intakes between the DCD and the FCD for eighteen and twenty (of twenty-six) food groups and for twenty-nine and twenty-two (of forty-three) nutrients (including energy) in men and women, respectively. For food group intakes, Spearman correlation coefficients between the DCD and FCD ranged from 0·19 (animal fats) to 0·90 (fruits and alcoholic beverages) in men (median: 0·61) and from 0·25 (oils) to 0·89 (noodles) in women (median: 0·58). For nutrient intakes, the corresponding values ranged from 0·25 (retinol) to 0·90 (alcohol) in men (median: 0·60) and from 0·15 (retinol) to 0·74 (alcohol) in women (median: 0·53).Conclusions:Whereas it is difficult to accurately estimate absolute dietary intake values using the present DCD, it has acceptable ability to rank the intakes of many food groups and nutrients.

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Development and Feasibility of Tablet-based 24-hour Recall for Dietary Intake and Recipe Collection Among Adults and Children in Tanzania (P10-018-19)

Current Developments in Nutrition ◽

10.1093/cdn/nzz034.p10-018-19 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

Author(s):

Ramya Ambikapathi ◽

Imani Irema ◽

Isaac Lyaatu ◽

Dominic Mosha ◽

Stella Nyamsangia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dietary Intake ◽

Nutrient Intake ◽

Open Data ◽

Food Composition ◽

Portion Size ◽

Dietary Quality ◽

Food Groups ◽

Dietary Recall ◽

Adults And Children ◽

Composition Table

Abstract Objectives In many regions of the world, little is known about food consumption, meal structures, meal patterns, and nutrient intake. Collection of these data using quantitative dietary intake is expensive and labor intensive. Thus, many programmatic and routine surveillance studies resort to simplified indicators to measure dietary quality. Based on a previous study conducted by Caswell et al. on tablet-based data collection of 24-hour dietary recall (24hr-DR), we have developed and adapted a mobile tool collecting 24hr-DR among adults and children in Tanzania. Methods Using the Tanzanian food composition table (FCT), the 24hr-DR was developed on an Android platform in Open Data Kit. The module provides food groups, food lists, meal list, ingredient list, quantity and amount consumed, breastfeeding frequency, and a recipe feature to collect detailed information (such as cooked and uncooked weights). Similar to the USDA Automated Multiple Pass Method, to accurately capture the dietary intake the tool contains summary features such as time in between meals and review of meals and portion size consumed in the previous day. Results The mobile tool is currently used to collect dietary intake (1) among 960 children 0–18 months of age enrolled in the EFFECTS trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03759821) in Mara, Tanzania, and (2) among adult families enrolled in the DECIDE study in Dar es Salaam. Field workers were first trained on paper-based methods with food models followed by training on tablet-based collection. Because the tool was tailored with the Tanzanian FCT, conversion to nutrient intake for the individual are readily linked. This enables the investigators to look at dietary intake data in real time for quality assurance and analysis. Demonstration of the tool along with dietary profiles and analysis will be compared with the literature. The tool will be made available to the public in December 2019, and can be adapted to different contexts. Conclusions Using mobile-based flexible platforms linked to a pre-existing FCT demystifies the “black box” processes of converting dietary intake to nutrient intake, thus reducing the time and labor needed using the traditional paper-based 24hr-DR method. Funding Sources This study is funded through the Drivers of Food Choice Grants Program by Bill and Melinda Gates foundation and UK AID.

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Extending a multiethnic food composition table to include standardized food group servings

Journal of Food Composition and Analysis ◽

10.1016/s0889-1575(03)00015-2 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. 485-495 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

S. Sharma ◽

S.P. Murphy ◽

L.R. Wilkens ◽

D. Au ◽

L. Shen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Group ◽

Food Composition ◽

Food Composition Table ◽

Composition Table

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Estimation of dietary flavonoid intake and major food sources of Korean adults

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s0007114515004006 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 115 (3) ◽

pp. 480-489 ◽

Cited By ~ 46

Author(s):

Shinyoung Jun ◽

Sangah Shin ◽

Hyojee Joung

Keyword(s):

Daily Intake ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Food Composition ◽

Food Sources ◽

Food Groups ◽

Food Items ◽

Korean Adults ◽

Flavonoid Intake ◽

Composition Table ◽

Vegetables And Fruits

AbstractEpidemiological studies have suggested that flavonoids exhibit preventive effects on degenerative diseases. However, lack of sufficient data on flavonoid intake has limited evaluating the proposed effects in populations. Therefore, we aimed to estimate the total and individual flavonoid intakes among Korean adults and determine the major dietary sources of these flavonoids. We constructed a flavonoid database of common Korean foods, based on the food list reported in the 24-h recall of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2007–2012, using data from the Korea Functional Food Composition Table, US Department of Agriculture flavonoid database, Phenol-Explorer database and other analytical studies. This database, which covers 49 % of food items and 76 % of food intake, was linked with the 24-h recall data of 33 581 subjects aged ≥19 years in the KNHANES 2007–2012. The mean daily intake of total flavonoids in Korean adults was 318·0 mg/d, from proanthocyanidins (22·3 %), flavonols (20·3 %), isoflavones (18·1 %), flavan-3-ols (16·2 %), anthocyanidins (11·6 %), flavanones (11·3 %) and flavones (0·3 %). The major contributing food groups to the flavonoid intake were fruits (54·4 %), vegetables (20·5 %), legumes and legume products (16·2 %) and beverages and alcohols (3·1 %), and the major contributing food items were apples (21·9 %), mandarins (12·5 %), tofu (11·5 %), onions (9·6 %) and grapes (9·0 %). In the regression analysis, the consumption of legumes and legume products, vegetables and fruits predicted total flavonoid intake the most. The findings of this study could facilitate further investigation on the health benefits of flavonoids and provide the basic information for establishing recommended flavonoid intakes for Koreans.

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