scholarly journals Changes in the UK baby food market surveyed in 2013 and 2019: the rise of baby snacks and sweet/savoury foods

2020 ◽  
Vol 105 (12) ◽  
pp. 1162-1166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ada Lizbeth Garcia ◽  
Louise Curtin ◽  
José David Ronquillo ◽  
Alison Parrett ◽  
Charlotte Margaret Wright
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Content ◽  
Baby Food ◽  
Infant Food ◽  
Nutritional Content ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Snack Foods ◽  
Food Market ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Age Range

ObjectiveTo assess how the baby food market in the UK has changed between 2013 and 2019.SettingUnited Kingdom.DesignA cross-sectional survey of all infant food products available to buy in the UK online and in-store collected in 2019. Nutritional content and product descriptions were recorded and compared with an existing 2013 database.Main outcome measuresChange in the proportion of products marketed to infants aged 4 months, proportion classified as sweet versus savoury, spoonable versus dry (snacks) average sugar content.ResultsFewer products were described as suitable for infants aged 4 months in 2019 (201, 23%) compared with 2013 (178, 43%; p<0.001), while the proportion for children in the 6–7-month age range increased (2013: 135, 33%; 2019: 369, 43%; p=0.001). The proportion of sweet and savoury products was unchanged; sweet spoonable products showed a small but significant decrease in sugar content (6%) between 2013 and 2019, but savoury spoonable products showed a 16% increase. Sweet snacks remained very sweet (~20 g/100 g median sugar at both time points). In the 2019 dataset, concentrated juice was added to 29% (n=253) of products and 18% (n=80) ‘savoury’ products comprised more than 50% sweet vegetables or fruit. The number and proportion of snacks increased markedly in 2019 (185, 21%) compared with 2013 (42, 10%; p=0.001) while the proportion of wet spoonable foods decreased (2013: 326, 79%; 2019: 611, 71%; p=0.001).ConclusionsFewer foods are now marketed to infants aged 4 months, but there has been no overall reduction in the sweetness of products and the increase in snack foods and the sweetness of savoury foods is a concern.

scholarly journals The sugar content of foods in the UK by category and company: A repeated cross-sectional study, 2015-2018

PLoS Medicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. e1003647
Author(s):  
Lauren K. Bandy ◽  
Peter Scarborough ◽  
Richard A. Harrington ◽  
Mike Rayner ◽  
Susan A. Jebb
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Content ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Dietary Recommendations ◽  
Weighted Mean ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Breakfast Cereals ◽  
Sales Data ◽  
Food Market ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Product Sales

Background Consumption of free sugars in the UK greatly exceeds dietary recommendations. Public Health England (PHE) has set voluntary targets for industry to reduce the sales-weighted mean sugar content of key food categories contributing to sugar intake by 5% by 2018 and 20% by 2020. The aim of this study was to assess changes in the sales-weighted mean sugar content and total volume sales of sugar in selected food categories among UK companies between 2015 and 2018. Methods and findings We used sales data from Euromonitor, which estimates total annual retail sales of packaged foods, for 5 categories—biscuits and cereal bars, breakfast cereals, chocolate confectionery, sugar confectionery, and yoghurts—for 4 consecutive years (2015–2018). This analysis includes 353 brands (groups of products with the same name) sold by 99 different companies. These data were linked with nutrient composition data collected online from supermarket websites over 2015–2018 by Edge by Ascential. The main outcome measures were sales volume, sales-weighted mean sugar content, and total volume of sugar sold by category and company. Our results show that between 2015 and 2018 the sales-weighted mean sugar content of all included foods fell by 5.2% (95% CI −9.4%, −1.4%), from 28.7 g/100 g (95% CI 27.2, 30.4) to 27.2 g/100 g (95% CI 25.8, 28.4). The greatest change seen was in yoghurts (−17.0% [95% CI −26.8%, −7.1%]) and breakfast cereals (−13.3% [95% CI −19.2%, −7.4%]), with only small reductions in sugar confectionery (−2.4% [95% CI −4.2%, −0.6%]) and chocolate confectionery (−1.0% [95% CI −3.1, 1.2]). Our results show that total volume of sugars sold per capita fell from 21.4 g/d (95% CI 20.3, 22.7) to 19.7 g/d (95% CI 18.8, 20.7), a reduction of 7.5% (95% CI −13.1%, −2.8%). Of the 50 companies representing the top 10 companies in each category, 24 met the 5% reduction target set by PHE for 2018. The key limitations of this study are that it does not encompass the whole food market and is limited by its use of brand-level sales data, rather than individual product sales data. Conclusions Our findings show there has been a small reduction in total volume sales of sugar in the included categories, primarily due to reductions in the sugar content of yoghurts and breakfast cereals. Additional policy measures may be needed to accelerate progress in categories such as sugar confectionery and chocolate confectionery if the 2020 PHE voluntary sugar reduction targets are to be met.

scholarly journals Sweet Snack Foods Are Promoted by the Baby Food Industry: A Survey of Baby Foods in the UK

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 990-990
Author(s):  
Ada Garcia ◽  
Louise Curtin ◽  
Ada Garcia ◽  
Charlotte Wright
Keyword(s):  
Sugar Content ◽  
Infant Food ◽  
Product Packaging ◽  
Snack Foods ◽  
Funding Sources ◽  
Dried Fruit ◽  
Corn Snacks ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Snack Products ◽  
Rice Cakes

Abstract Objectives Snacking is nor part of UK complementary feeding recommendations, but 60% of UK infants aged 7–10 months consume home-made and/or commercial baby snacks. We aimed to explore trends in the availability of commercial baby snacks in the UK food market over time. Methods We surveyed all infant food products available to buy in the UK, online and in-store, n 2019 and used our own 2010–2011 data for comparison. Product type [wet purees or dry (snacks)] were recorded at both time points. In 2019 for snack products we recorded main types, feeding claims on product packaging and sugar content. Results The total number of products available in 2010–11 and 2019 was 482 and 865 respectively. The proportion of snacks had doubled between 2010–11 (42, 10%; P = 0.001) and 2019 (185, 21%), while the proportion of wet, pureed foods decreased (2010–11 326, 79%; 2019 611, 71%; P = 0.001) and in 2019 were mainly supplied in pouches (453, 74%). The commonest snack types in 2019 were corn based flavoured with fruit or vegetables (40%; of which 12% fruit flavoured), dried fruit (15%), fruit or vegetables mixed with cereals (22% of which 88% were fruit based), biscuits (18%), and rice cakes flavoured with fruit or vegetables (8%). In 2019 front of package feeding claims were observed on 43% of snacks, referring to them as ‘finger foods’ (25%), ‘encourages self-feeding’ (10%), ‘perfect for teething’ (4%) or a mixture of these (3%). Sugar content [N, g/100 g median (Q1, Q3)] was higher than the 5 g/100 g recommended threshhold for all dried fruit [19, 61(38, 64], fruit or vegetable with cereals [42, 26(18, 29)], biscuits [34, 19(15, 22)] and rice cakes [34, 19(15, 22)]. Corn snacks [75, 4(2, 6)] mainly met the sugar content threshold. Conclusions Sweet commercial baby snacks are a prominent feature of the UK food environment. Regulations on feeding claims and sugar content are urgently needed. Funding Sources No funding sources to declare.

scholarly journals The COVID-19 experience of orthodontists in the UK

2022 ◽  
pp. 146531252110680
Author(s):  
Yana Sabbagh ◽  
Benjamin RK Lewis ◽  
Stephen M Chadwick ◽  
Elham S Abu Alhaija
Keyword(s):  
Vaccination Programme ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Perceived Impact ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Electronic Questionnaires ◽  
Age Range ◽  
Professional Guidance

Objective: To understand and compare the perceived impact and ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on orthodontic clinical services in the UK. Design: Descriptive cross-sectional survey. Setting: Online electronic questionnaire. Participants: Members of the British Orthodontic Society (BOS). Methods: Electronic questionnaires were circulated between March and June 2021. The UK survey was distributed via emails from the BOS, Orthodontic Managed Clinical Networks and WhatsApp groups. Results: A total of 560 unique responses were received. There were more respondents who were aged over 50 years (52%) then respondents who were aged below 50 years (48%) with the median age range being 50–54 years (20%). The main causes of disruption to clinical practice were felt to be national restrictions (85%), increased cross-infection measures (84%), social distancing (80%) and professional guidance (80%). Respondents felt more negatively in their opinions regarding dentistry’s preparedness for the pandemic (5%) and how dentistry coped in the crisis (35%), when compared to orthodontic services specifically (8% and 58%, respectively). The respondents were not confident about the potential beneficial effects of a vaccination programme on orthodontic clinical service provision (21%). Telephone consultations (84%) and video consultations (61%) were the main adaptations used by the respondents during the pandemic. Conclusions: Respondents felt that COVID-19 will have long-term societal, clinical and professional implications. The majority of our respondents supported the vaccination and weekly testing of the orthodontic team. Respondents felt that during the pandemic there had been a deterioration in care provision and were not optimistic about a vaccination programme restoring services to pre-pandemic levels of activity. During the pandemic, patients in active orthodontic treatment have been prioritised but at the expense of new and review patients, and as services recover respondents were concerned about the difficulty of arranging dental extractions.

scholarly journals The nutritional content of supermarket beverages: a cross-sectional analysis of New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the UK

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (13) ◽  
pp. 2507-2516 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynne Chepulis ◽  
Gael Mearns ◽  
Shaunie Hill ◽  
Jason HY Wu ◽  
Michelle Crino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Sugar Content ◽  
Multivariate Regression Analysis ◽  
Fruit Juices ◽  
Nutritional Content ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Cross Sectional Analysis ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Sectional Analysis ◽  
Serving Size

AbstractObjectiveTo compare the nutritional content, serving size and taxation potential of supermarket beverages from four different Western countries.DesignCross-sectional analysis. Multivariate regression analysis and χ2 comparisons were used to detect differences between countries.SettingSupermarkets in New Zealand (NZ), Australia, Canada and the UK.SubjectsSupermarket beverages in the following categories: fruit juices, fruit-based drinks, carbonated soda, waters and sports/energy drinks.ResultsA total of 4157 products were analysed, including 749 from NZ, 1738 from Australia, 740 from Canada and 930 from the UK. NZ had the highest percentage of beverages with sugar added to them (52 %), while the UK had the lowest (9 %, P<0·001). Differences in energy, carbohydrate and sugar content were observed between countries and within categories, with UK products generally having the lowest energy and sugar content. Up to half of all products across categories/countries exceeded the US Food and Drug Administration’s reference single serving sizes, with fruit juices contributing the greatest number. Between 47 and 83 % of beverages in the different countries were eligible for sugar taxation, the UK having the lowest proportion of products in both the low tax (5–8 % sugar) and high tax (>8 % sugar) categories.ConclusionsThere is substantial difference between countries in the mean energy, serving size and proportion of products eligible for fiscal sugar taxation. Current self-regulatory approaches used in these countries may not be effective to reduce the availability, marketing and consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and subsequent intake of free sugars.

scholarly journals Cross-Sectional Survey of the Amount of Sugar and Energy in Chocolate Confectionery on Sold in the UK in 1992 and 2017

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1798 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kawther M. Hashem ◽  
Feng J. He ◽  
Sarah A. Alderton ◽  
Graham A. MacGregor
Keyword(s):  
Energy Content ◽  
Sugar Content ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Product Packaging ◽  
Sugar Levels ◽  
The Uk

The study aimed to compare the sugar (1992, 2017) and energy (2017) content of chocolate confectionery available in the UK between 1992 and 2017 using cross-sectional surveys. All major UK retailers operating at the time were included. Sugar content in 1992 was obtained from a booklet and sugar and energy content from 2017 were collected from product packaging in-store. In 1992, the average sugar content of chocolate confectionery was 46.6 ± 10.3 g/100 g and in 2017 it was 47.3 ± 12.1 g/100 g. Sugar content ranged from 0.5 to 75.2 g/100g, with large variations between different categories of chocolate and within the same category of chocolate. There were 23 products found in both 1992 and 2017. The average sugar content per 100 g for these products was 44.6 ± 9.4 g in 1992 and 54.7 ± 6.3 g in 2017, representing a 23% increase in sugar content (p < 0.001). The results show that the sugar content of chocolate confectionery has increased since 1992, which is concerning. However, they also suggest sugar levels can be reduced because (a) lower sugar versions of the same products existed in 1992 and (b) there is a large variation in sugar and energy content between different categories of chocolate and within the same category in 2017.

scholarly journals Cross-sectional survey of the amount of sugar and energy in cakes and biscuits on sale in the UK for the evaluation of the sugar-reduction programme

BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. e019075 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kawther M Hashem ◽  
Feng J He ◽  
Sarah A Alderton ◽  
Graham A MacGregor
Keyword(s):  
Energy Content ◽  
Sugar Content ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Product Packaging ◽  
Nutrition Labelling ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Sugar Reduction ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Future Evaluation

ObjectivesTo investigate the variation in sugar and energy content of cakes and biscuits available in the UK.DesignWe carried out a cross-sectional survey in 2016 of 381 cakes and 481 biscuits available in nine main UK supermarkets.MethodsThe sugar and energy content was collected from product packaging and nutrition labelling of cake and biscuit products.ResultsThe average sugar content in cakes and biscuits was 36.6±7.6 and 30.0±9.2 g/100 g, respectively. The mean energy content was 406±37 for cakes and 484±38 kcal/100 g for biscuits. There was a large variation in sugar and energy content between different cake and biscuit categories and within the same category. 97% of cakes and 74% of biscuits would receive a ‘red’ (high) label for sugar.ConclusionsThis research makes available baseline data of the cakes and biscuits market in the UK for future evaluation of the recently launched sugar-reduction programme. The study showed that reductions in sugar and energy content of cakes and biscuits are possible, since there was a large variation in sugar and energy content between different cake and biscuit categories and within the same category. A reduction in sugar and energy content, and overall cake and biscuit consumption, can help reduce overall sugar and energy intake in the UK and thus reduce the risk of obesity and dental caries.

scholarly journals Survey of young people in one region of the UK on accessing COVID-19 information (SOCIAL)

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. e000942
Author(s):  
Oliver G P Lawton ◽  
Sarah A Lawton ◽  
Lisa Dikomitis ◽  
Joanne Protheroe ◽  
Joanne Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Young People ◽  
Significant Role ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Descriptive Statistics ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Education Gaps ◽  
The Uk

COVID-19 has significantly impacted young people’s lives yet little is known about the COVID-19 related sources of information they access. We performed a cross-sectional survey of pupils (11–16 years) in North Staffordshire, UK. 408 (23%) pupils responded to an online survey emailed to them by their school. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the data. Social media, accessed by 68%, played a significant role in the provision of information, despite it not being considered trustworthy. 89% felt that COVID-19 had negatively affected their education. Gaps in the provision of information on COVID-19 have been identified.

scholarly journals Possible Selves Across the Lifespan

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 449-449
Author(s):  
Victoria Chen ◽  
Alysson Light
Keyword(s):  
Possible Selves ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Life Stages ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Midlife Adults ◽  
Age Range ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Possible selves are defined as “personalized representations of one’s self in future states” (Cross & Markus, 1991). Research has also found that thinking frequently about possible selves predicts lower well-being, whereas thinking clearly about possible selves is associated with higher well-being (McElwee & Haugh, 2010). However, possible selves differ across the lifespan (Hooker & Kaus, 1994; Cross & Markus, 1991) and life stages can impact exploration of possible identities (Arnett, 2000). Thus we hypothesize that the relationship between thought about possible selves and well-being differs across the lifespan. In a cross-sectional survey, 240 participants (age range: 18-92) reported on frequency and clarity of possible selves, as well as general self-clarity (Campbell et al., 1996). Results indicate curvilinear moderation by age of the link between possible self-clarity and well-being, with the association being stronger among midlife adults than among younger adults and older adults. Also, as clarity of feared possible selves increases, self-concept clarity decreases. Similarly, frequency of thinking about feared possible selves was negatively correlated with self-concept clarity. However, clarity and frequency of thought about hoped-for positive possible selves had no correlation with self-concept clarity.

scholarly journals 841 The psychological impact of Foundation Interim Year 1 Placements on Final Year UK Medical Students Transitioning to Foundation Year One During the COVID Era

2021 ◽  
Vol 108 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Durand-Hill ◽  
D I Ike ◽  
A N Nijhawan ◽  
A B Shah ◽  
A Dawson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Psychological Impact ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Hospital Anxiety ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Stress Scale ◽  
The Uk

Abstract Introduction During the COVID pandemic, the 2019-2020 cohort of final year students were invited to participate in Foundation interim Year 1 placements (FiY1). FiY1 aimed to ease transition to Foundation Year 1 doctor (FY1). We assessed the psychological impact of FiY1 on final year medical students. Method A cross-sectional survey was distributed to final year medical students in the UK between June 4th and July 4th, 2020. The survey contained the following domains: participant demographics, rationale for FiY1 participation, a checklist of the key safety principles for FiY1s, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Perceived Stress scale-4. Results 107 final years responded to the survey. 72.0% (n = 77) of final year students surveyed were working as FiY1s. Final year students participating in FiY1 postings had reduced rates of anxiety (29.9% vs 43.4%, P = 0.186), depression (5.2% vs 20.0%, P = 0.018) and lower perceived stress levels (5.0 vs 7.2, P &lt; 0.001). 19.5% (15/77) FiY1s reported working beyond their competency, 27.3% (22/77) felt unsupervised, but 94.8% (73/77) of FiY1s felt the post prepared them for FY1. Conclusions Students participating in FiY1 postings felt less stressed and depressed than those not participating in the scheme and the majority felt it was preparing them for FY1.

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