Nutritional composition of the food supply: a comparison of soft drinks and breakfast cereals between three European countries based on labels

2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karine Vin ◽  
Julie Beziat ◽  
Katrin Seper ◽  
Alexandra Wolf ◽  
Alexandra Sidor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Supply ◽  
Nutritional Composition ◽  
Soft Drinks ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Breakfast Cereals

scholarly journals Assessing nutritional value of ready-to-eat breakfast cereals in the province of Quebec (Canada): a study from the Food Quality Observatory

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Julie Perron ◽  
Sonia Pomerleau ◽  
Pierre Gagnon ◽  
Joséane Gilbert-Moreau ◽  
Simone Lemieux ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Quality ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Nutritional Quality ◽  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Nutritional Composition ◽  
Breakfast Cereal ◽  
Food Category ◽  
Breakfast Cereals ◽  
Sales Data

Abstract Objective: The Food Quality Observatory was created in the province of Quebec (Canada) in 2016. In this study, the Observatory aimed to generate a methodology to (1) test the use of sales data combined with nutrient values to characterise the nutritional composition of ready-to-eat (RTE) breakfast cereals offered and purchased in the province of Quebec (Canada) and (2) verify the extent to which a front-of-pack label based on the percentage of daily value (DV) for total sugar, as a strategy to improve the food supply, would be distributed in this food category. Design: Nutritional information were obtained by purchasing each RTE breakfast cereal available in the Greater Montreal area. Cereals were then classified according to their processing type. Setting: The nutritional values of 331 RTE breakfast cereals available in Quebec were merged with sales data covering the period between May 2016 and May 2017. A total of 306 products were successfully cross-referenced. Results: Granola and sweetened cereals were the most available (36·6 % and 19·6 %, respectively) and purchased (19·8 % and 40·9 % of sales, respectively). When compared with other types of cereals, granola cereals had a higher energy, fat, saturated fat, protein content and a lower Na content. A larger proportion of chocolate (65 %) and sweetened cereals (49 %) were above 15 % of the DV for sugar. Conclusions: This study showed that the methodology developed generates important data to monitor nutritional quality of the food supply and ultimately contribute to improve the nutritional quality of processed foods.

scholarly journals Sugars, Salt, Saturated Fat and Fibre Purchased through Packaged Food and Soft Drinks in Europe 2015–2018: Are We Making Progress?

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 2416
Author(s):  
Maria Alice Moz-Christofoletti ◽  
Jan Wollgast
Keyword(s):  
Market Share ◽  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Nutrient Content ◽  
Nutritional Composition ◽  
Soft Drinks ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
Packaged Food ◽  
Health Objectives

The availability, purchase and consumption of foods high in fat, sugars and salt and low in fibre are linked to the high health and economic burden of noncommunicable diseases, including cancer, in Europe. Therefore, assessing the quality of the food offer is key as feedback to decision makers, as well as to identify good practices and areas of the food supply still requiring urgent action. We combined detailed market share and sales data with nutrition composition data to evaluate the nutritional quality of 14 packaged food and soft drinks categories sold across 22 European countries over the 2015–2018 period. Our analysis shows great variability of the nutritional composition within and among packaged food and soft drinks categories across European countries. Our estimates of the market-share weighted mean, a measure that integrates possible changes in nutrient content with the amount of a product sold to consumers, as well as daily per capita nutrient sale estimates, suggest a small but statistically significant progress in certain food categories only. Overall, the amounts of sugars, saturated fat, salt and fibre being sold to European citizens through these products is not improving to an extent to meet public health objectives.

scholarly journals Food supply and actions to improve dietary behaviour of students – a comparison between secondary schools participating or not participating in the ‘Healthy School Canteen Program’

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 198-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivon EJ Milder ◽  
Jochen Mikolajczak ◽  
Saskia W van den Berg ◽  
Madelon van de Veen-van Hofwegen ◽  
Wanda JE Bemelmans
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Eating Behaviour ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Soft Drinks ◽  
Dietary Behaviour ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
School Canteen ◽  
Set Up

AbstractObjective(i) To identify determinants of participation in the ‘Healthy School Canteen Program’, a programme that encourages schools to set up their canteen in a way that promotes healthy dietary behaviour. (ii) To compare food supply and actions between participating and non-participating schools. (iii) To investigate what reasons schools have to increase attention for nutrition in the curriculum.DesignA cross-sectional study based on information from questionnaires performed in 2010/2011.SettingAll secondary schools (age group 12–18 years) in the Netherlands (n 1145).SubjectsResponse was 33 % (n 375). Analyses included all schools with a canteen in which food is offered (28 %, n 325).ResultsNone of the investigated determinants was associated with participation. Participating schools offered significantly (P < 0·001) more of eleven inventoried healthy foods (e.g. sandwiches, (butter)milk, fruit, light soft drinks, yoghurt and salad) than non-participating schools. However, there was no difference in the number of less healthy products offered (e.g. candy bars, cakes and regular soft drinks). Participating schools reported more often that they took actions to improve dietary behaviour and more often had a policy on nutrition. Participating schools more often increased attention for nutrition in the curriculum in recent years than non-participating schools (57 % v. 43 %, P = 0·01). Reported reasons were similar and included media attention, eating behaviour of students and ‘overweight’.ConclusionsSchools that participate in the programme seemed to offer more healthy products in their canteens and took more actions to improve dietary behaviour than non-participating schools. However, at all schools less healthy foods were also available.

scholarly journals Breakfast Cereals Carrying Fibre-Related Claims: Do They Have a Better Nutritional Composition Than Those without Such Claims? Results from the Food Labelling of Italian Products (FLIP) Study

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 2225
Author(s):  
Daniela Martini ◽  
Cristian Del Bo’ ◽  
Mauro Serafini ◽  
Marisa Porrini ◽  
Nicoletta Pellegrini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Packaging ◽  
Nutritional Composition ◽  
High Variability ◽  
Food Labelling ◽  
Nutritional Values ◽  
Breakfast Cereals ◽  
Nutritional Information ◽  
Nutrition Claims ◽  
Nutritional Characteristics ◽  
Online Stores

Nutrition claims (NCs) on food packaging are, from one side, an informative tool about the nutritional characteristics of the product. From another side, they could bias the consumer in perceiving such products as healthier than those without claims. In order to investigate whether products with NCs have a better nutritional composition that those without claims, the present study aimed to compare the nutrition facts of 376 breakfast cereals, with and without fibre-related NCs, available in 13 Italian retailer online stores. Among these products, 73 items claimed to be a “source of fibre” and 109 “high in fibre”. In addition to a higher fibre content, products “high in fibre” showed higher protein and fat contents but lower carbohydrate, sugar and salt contents compared to both “source of fibre” and without fibre-related NC items. Overall, a high variability in nutritional values was also observed within products with the same type of fibre-related NC. In conclusion, the results suggested that fibre-related NCs should not be considered as a marker of a better nutritional composition of breakfast cereals, and thus consumers should be educated to carefully read the entire nutritional information reported in the food labelling.

scholarly journals Nutritional Composition of Gluten-Free Labelled Foods in the Slovenian Food Supply

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (21) ◽  
pp. 8239
Author(s):  
Živa Lavriša ◽  
Maša Hribar ◽  
Anita Kušar ◽  
Katja Žmitek ◽  
Igor Pravst
Keyword(s):  
Food Supply ◽  
Sugar Content ◽  
Salt Content ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Nutritional Composition ◽  
Processed Meat ◽  
Gluten Free ◽  
Health Initiatives ◽  
Lower Protein ◽  
Public Health Initiatives

The market of gluten-free (GF) foods has been expanding in recent years. GF foods are consumed not only by those with medical predispositions for avoiding gluten, but also by a specific segment of consumers, searching for “healthier” food choices. For these, such practices can present a serious limitation in the variability of food choices. Considering that GF foods are commonly perceived as healthier alternatives, there is a lack of knowledge on the nutritional profile and content of specific nutrients of GF-labelled foods compared to general food supply. A comparison of nutritional composition of GF/non-GF packed foods in the Slovenian food supply was conducted. The nutrient profiling scoring criterion (NPSC) and content of specific nutrients/energy was compared between GF-labelled and regular foods. The highest proportion of GF-labelled products were found in food categories, which typically do not contain gluten (Cheese imitates, Milk imitates, Yoghurt imitates, Canned fish and seafood and Processed meat). Significant differences in the nutrient profile between GF-labelled and regular products were found in Cakes, muffins and pastry, Crisps and snacks, Desserts and Milk imitates. GF-labelled foods often had lower protein and sugar content. Energy value was comparable in most categories and no significant differences in salt content were found, compared to non-GF products. In conclusion, GF-labelled foods will unlikely bring health benefits to those who are not medically required to follow GF diet. Public health initiatives should aim towards promotion of consuming non-processed foods and provision of reliable information about who is required to consume GF foods.

scholarly journals Developing nutrient profile models: a systematic approach

2007 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 330-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Scarborough ◽  
Mike Rayner ◽  
Lynn Stockley
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Systematic Approach ◽  
Nutritional Composition ◽  
Simple Equation ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Breakfast Cereals ◽  
Nutrient Profile ◽  
Logical Approach ◽  
Nutrient Profiling ◽  
Logical Process

AbstractObjectiveNutrient profiling can be defined as the ‘the science of categorising foods according to their nutritional composition’. The purpose of the present paper is to describe a systematic and logical approach to nutrient profiling.DesignA seven-stage decision-making process is proposed and, as an illustration of how the approach might operate in practice, the development of a nutrient profiling model for the purpose of highlighting breakfast cereals that are ‘high in fat, sugar or salt’ is described.ResultsThe nutrient profile model developed for this paper calculates scores for foods using a simple equation. It enables breakfast cereals to be compared with each other and with other foods eaten at breakfast.ConclusionNutrient profiling is not new, but hitherto most nutrient profiling models have been developed in an unsystematic and illogical fashion. Different nutrient profiling models are needed for different purposes but a key requirement should be that they are developed using a systematic, transparent and logical process. This paper provides an example of such a process; approaches to validating nutrient profiling models are described elsewhere.

scholarly journals Is there an association between food portion size and BMI among British adolescents?

2014 ◽  
Vol 112 (5) ◽  
pp. 841-851 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salwa A. Albar ◽  
Nisreen A. Alwan ◽  
Charlotte E. L. Evans ◽  
Janet E. Cade
Keyword(s):  
High Energy ◽  
Soft Drinks ◽  
Portion Size ◽  
Outcome Variable ◽  
Nutrition Survey ◽  
Future Health ◽  
Breakfast Cereals ◽  
Portion Sizes ◽  
Food Portion ◽  
High Fibre

The prevalence of obesity has increased simultaneously with the increase in the consumption of large food portion sizes (FPS). Studies investigating this association among adolescents are limited; fewer have addressed energy-dense foods as a potential risk factor. In the present study, the association between the portion size of the most energy-dense foods and BMI was investigated. A representative sample of 636 British adolescents (11–18 years) was used from the 2008–2011 UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey. FPS were estimated for the most energy-dense foods (those containing above 10·5 kJ/g (2·5 kcal/g)). Regression models with BMI as the outcome variable were adjusted for age, sex and misreporting energy intake (EI). A positive association was observed between total EI and BMI. For each 418 kJ (100 kcal) increase in EI, BMI increased by 0·19 kg/m2(95 % CI 0·10, 0·28;P< 0·001) for the whole sample. This association remained significant after stratifying the sample by misreporting. The portion sizes of a limited number of high-energy-dense foods (high-fibre breakfast cereals, cream and high-energy soft drinks (carbonated)) were found to be positively associated with a higher BMI among all adolescents after adjusting for misreporting. When eliminating the effect of under-reporting, larger portion sizes of a number of high-energy-dense foods (biscuits, cheese, cream and cakes) were found to be positively associated with BMI among normal reporters. The portion sizes of only high-fibre breakfast cereals and high-energy soft drinks (carbonated) were found to be positively associated with BMI among under-reporters. These findings emphasise the importance of considering under-reporting when analysing adolescents' dietary intake data. Also, there is a need to address adolescents' awareness of portion sizes of energy-dense foods to improve their food choice and future health outcomes.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Ability of Nutri-Score to Discriminate the Nutritional Quality of Prepacked Foods Using a Sale-Weighting Approach

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1689
Author(s):  
Edvina Hafner ◽  
Igor Pravst
Keyword(s):  
Food Supply ◽  
Edible Oils ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Food Samples ◽  
Nutritional Composition ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Dietary Recommendations ◽  
Public Health Importance ◽  
Nutrition Labelling ◽  
Discriminating Ability

The implementation of mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labelling is currently being discussed in the European Union (EU). The Nutri-Score (NS) was developed in France to empower consumers to make informed and healthier food choices. Based on strong evidence of its efficacy in supporting healthy choices, it has already been implemented for voluntary use in some EU member states, making it relevant to developing a harmonised EU scheme. This study aimed to evaluate the NS’s discriminating ability on products available in the food supply and compare it with Slovenian national nutritional recommendations based on an adapted WHO Europe (WHOE) profile. The innovative approach of the study is that we used sale-weighting to address the public health importance of available foods, with consideration of market share. We profiled 15,822 products available in the Slovenian food supply in 2017. The NS had a high ability to discriminate food products based on nutritional composition. Products that are generally encouraged in dietary recommendations (fruits, vegetables, cereals) had, in most cases, better NS grades than less favourable products (confectionery, snack foods, added fats), which is also in line with the national nutrition policy programme. The discriminating ability of the model was also shown within food (sub)categories (e.g., plain and flavoured yoghurt). Sale-weighting showed that offerings do not always reflect sales. Major differences between offerings and sales were observed for beverages, dairy, fruits/vegetables, and edible oils/emulsions. Additionally, sale-weighted distribution tended towards less favourable nutritional composition, particularly in categories with overall smaller offerings of products with favourable composition. The NS showed moderate agreement with the WHOE profile (κ = 0.57); differences were particularly observed in flavoured yoghurts, juices, cooking oils, and cheeses. Modelling the operation of the NS with representative real-life food samples provided insight valuable for developing and implementing harmonised mandatory front-of-pack nutrition labelling in Europe.

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