Use of Branded Food Composition Databases for the Exploitation of Food Fortification Practices: A Case Study on Vitamin D in the Slovenian Food Supply

Vitamin D deficiency is a worldwide public health concern, which can be addressed with voluntary or mandatory food fortification. The aim of this study was to determine if branded food composition databases can be used to investigate voluntary fortification practices. A case study was conducted using two nationally representative cross-sectional datasets of branded foods in Slovenia, collected in 2017 and 2020, and yearly sales data. Using food labeling data we investigated prevalence of fortification and average vitamin D content, while nutrient profiling was used to investigate overall nutritional quality of the foods. In both datasets, the highest prevalence of vitamin D fortification was observed in meal replacements (78% in 2017; 100% in 2020) and in margarine, corresponding to high market share. Other food categories commonly fortified with vitamin D are breakfast cereals (5% in 2017; 6% in 2020), yogurts and their imitates (5% in 2017; 4% in 2020), and baby foods (18% in both years). The highest declared average content of vitamin D was observed in margarine and foods for specific dietary use (7–8 μg/100g), followed by breakfast cereals (4 μg/100g), while the average content in other foods was below 2 μg/100g. Only minor differences were observed between 2017 and 2020. Major food-category differences were also observed in comparison of the overall nutritional quality of the fortified foods; higher overall nutritional quality was only observed in fortified margarine. Our study showed that branded food composition databases are extremely useful resources for the investigation and monitoring of fortification practices, particularly if sales data can also be used. In the absence of mandatory or recommended fortification in Slovenia, very few manufacturers decide to add vitamin D, and even when this is the case, such products are commonly niche foods with lower market shares. We observed exceptions in imported foods, which can be subject to fortification policies introduced in other countries.

Download Full-text

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

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980021001361 ◽

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.

Download Full-text

Understanding the Relationships Between the Consumer Perception on Food Risks, Quality, and Safety Indicators of Braised Meat Sold in “Dibiterie” Restaurants in Dakar, Senegal

Frontiers in Veterinary Science ◽

10.3389/fvets.2021.788089 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Malik Orou Seko ◽

Walter Ossebi ◽

Nibangue Laré ◽

Bassirou Bonfoh

Keyword(s):

Latent Variables ◽

Nutritional Quality ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Small Ruminants ◽

Consumer Perception ◽

Health Concern ◽

Human Consumption ◽

Quality And Safety ◽

Potential Health

Dibiteries are restaurants that sell braised meat of small ruminants and sometimes chicken. Current microbiological data indicate that the products sold are sometimes contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms exceeding the quality standards recommended for human consumption, hence a real public health concern. Despite the lack of hygiene, these establishments continue to thrive in the Senegalese food ecosystem. However, very few studies have analyzed the socio-economic motivations and risk representations of these populations who participate in the growing demand for meat from dibiteries. The main objective is to understand the relationships between consumer perception of food risks, quality, and safety indicators of braised meat sold in Dibiteries in Dakar. A total of 479 people from 404 households in the Dakar region were randomly selected and surveyed on the consumption of dibiterie meat using a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire allowed to measure the relative importance given by each interviewee to the indicators related to the risk of food infection, and the quality and safety of dibiterie meat. The structural equation model was used to design the paths and analyze the relationships. Of the 479 people interviewed, 291 people consumed dibiterie meat. Only 16% of consumers strongly perceive the quality and safety of meat. This strong perception has been positively associated with monthly food expenditure, while the age of consumers explained it negatively. Among the latent variables identified, the perceived price effect and the dibiteries' expertise were positively related to the perception on the safety and the perception on the nutritional quality of the product. The nutritional quality of the product had negatively impacted the risks of food infection perceived by consumers. The results of this study suggest the strengthening of hygiene standards in dibiteries and the awareness of consumers, especially young people, about the potential health risks associated with the consumption of dibiterie meat. Further work on willingness to pay to improve the safety of dibiterie meat is needed.

Download Full-text

Nutritional quality of biscuits, breakfast cereals and sweet snacks sold in Italy: the Food Labelling of Italian Products (FLIP) study

Proceedings of The Nutrition Society ◽

10.1017/s0029665120005194 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 79 (OCE2) ◽

Author(s):

Donato Angelino ◽

Alice Rosi ◽

Margherita Dall'Asta ◽

Nicoletta Pellegrini ◽

Daniela Martini

Keyword(s):

Nutritional Quality ◽

Principal Component ◽

Product Category ◽

Food Products ◽

Food Labelling ◽

Breakfast Cereals ◽

Nutrient Contents ◽

Italian Market ◽

Quality Of Food

AbstractIn Europe, the label information on food is regulated by the Reg. (EU) n.1169/2011 but many other regulated declarations (e.g. nutrition or heath claims (NHC), presence of gluten) can be provided on the pack. All this information could influence the perception of food quality and thus the consumers’ intention-to-buy. However, whether the nutritional quality of food products is comparable among products with different characteristics (e.g. presence/absence of NHC, gluten free (GF) declaration, brand) has been barely studied.Based on these premises, the Food Labelling of Italian Products (FLIP) Study aims to systematically investigate the overall nutritional quality of the main food categories sold on the Italian market. The present work focused on sweet cereal-based products (biscuits, breakfast cereals, and sweet snacks).Products were selected from the website of thirteen retailers present on the Italian market and data were collected from the complete images of all the sides of the pack. Then, biscuits, breakfast cereals, and sweet snacks were further sub-grouped for specific comparisons considering i) descriptive name reported, ii) presence/absence of GF declaration, iii) presence/absence of NHC declaration, iv) brand/own label. Data of energy, nutrient and salt contents per 100 grams of product for each product category were considered and comparisons among the sub-groups were performed (Mann Whitney test or Kruskal Wallis one-way ANOVA based on two or multiple independent samples, respectively) (ver. 25.0, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). In addition, a Principal Component Analysis was performed for all products and for each product sub-category by considering energy and nutrient contents per 100 grams of product to better describe the inter-product nutritional variability.A total of 814 biscuits, 371 breakfast cereals and 476 sweet snacks were included. Limited differences were found between branded and own label products and between GF and gluten-containing products. Conversely, interesting differences were observed between products with and without NHC. For instance, biscuits with nutrition claims resulted with an overall lower content of total energy, total fats and sugars compared to product without these claims, in agreement with previous investigations. Finally, a high inter-product variability was observed among the different sub-categories for the three product categories.Future researches performed within the FLIP study will allow to have a clearer picture about the nutritional quality of food products sold in Italy and to understand if specific food characteristics might be considered as a “marker” of the overall quality of food products

Download Full-text

Fluorescence fingerprints as a rapid predictor of the nutritional quality of processed and stored foods

Czech Journal of Food Sciences ◽

10.17221/10614-cjfs ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 22 (SI - Chem. Reactions in Foods V) ◽

pp. S68-S71 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

I. Birlouez-Aragon ◽

P. A Mas ◽

L. Ait Ameur ◽

N. Locquet ◽

E. de St Louvent ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Infant Formula ◽

Nutritional Quality ◽

Rapeseed Oil ◽

Polar Compounds ◽

Food Composition ◽

Fluorescence Spectrometry ◽

Front Face ◽

Powdered Infant Formula ◽

Physicochemical Changes

Foods are complex mixtures of macro- and micronutrients, which interact leading to oxidation, glycation and hydrolysis upon heating (sterilization, cooking) and storage. The nutritional quality and safety is consequently affected justifying the need for accurate monitoring of the evolution of the food composition during processing and in product shelf life. Classical chromatographic analysis as well as newly proposed rapid methods based on fluorescence spectrometry analyses are applied in the present study on (i) fresh and stored carrots, (ii) infant formula resembling model, (iii) heated rapeseed oil, and (iv) wheat biscuits. Fluorescence fingerprints addressing modifications in the product composition during processing were recorded and analyzed by means of chemometric methods. Fluorescence, recorded in a front-face mode on intact and crushed food, or product extracts, is very sensitive to pertinent physicochemical changes induced by heat treatment or storage. Results show the potential of non-destructively applied fluorescence spectrometry for measuring vitamin E in carrots, carboxymethyllysine in powdered infant formula models, polar compounds in rapeseed oil and hydroxymethylfurfural in biscuits. This paper presents the potential of fluorescence as a global approach of the quality of processed food.

Download Full-text

Nutritional quality of Australian breakfast cereals. Are they improving?

Appetite ◽

10.1016/j.appet.2012.06.010 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 59 (2) ◽

pp. 464-470 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Jimmy Chun Yu Louie ◽

Elizabeth K Dunford ◽

Karen Z Walker ◽

Timothy P Gill

Keyword(s):

Nutritional Quality ◽

Breakfast Cereals

Download Full-text

Nutritional Quality of Deep Fried Street-Vended Foods: A Public Health Concern

The Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on the Environment, Energy and Sustainable Development. - World Sustainable Development Outlook ◽

10.47556/b.outlook2009.7.28 ◽

2009 ◽

pp. 267-273

Author(s):

Ihab Tewfik ◽

◽

Hanaa Ismail ◽

Sundus Tewfik ◽

◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Nutritional Quality ◽

Health Concern ◽

Public Health Concern

Download Full-text

Impact of Guar and Wheat Bran on the Physical and Nutritional Quality of Extruded Breakfast Cereals

Starch - Stärke ◽

10.1002/star.200700698 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 60 (5) ◽

pp. 248-256 ◽

Cited By ~ 65

Author(s):

Margaret A. Brennan ◽

Inge Merts ◽

John Monro ◽

James Woolnough ◽

Charles S. Brennan

Keyword(s):

Wheat Bran ◽

Nutritional Quality ◽

Breakfast Cereals

Download Full-text

A comparison of the nutritional quality of organic and conventional ready-to-eat breakfast cereals based on NuVal scores

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980013001456 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 17 (7) ◽

pp. 1454-1458 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Nancy J Woodbury ◽

Valerie A George

Keyword(s):

Nutritional Quality ◽

Descriptive Study ◽

Public Health Nutrition ◽

Breakfast Cereal ◽

Breakfast Cereals ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Excessive Intake ◽

The Mean ◽

Nutrition Educators

AbstractObjectiveTo identify whether there were differences in nutritional quality between organic and conventional ready-to-eat breakfast cereals of similar types, based on NuVal scores.DesignThe current descriptive study analysed NuVal scores for 829 ready-to-eat breakfast cereals and eighteen different cereal types. ANOVA was used to compare the mean NuVal scores of 723 conventional cereals with those of 106 organic cereals.SettingReady-to-eat breakfast cereals (n 829) with NuVal scores.SubjectsNot applicable.ResultsThere was no significant difference in NuVal scores between conventional (mean 28·4 (sd 13·4)) and organic (mean 30·6 (sd 13·2)) cereal types.ConclusionsConsumers who choose the organic version of a ready-to-eat breakfast cereal believing that nutritional quality is superior may not be making a valid assumption. Public health nutrition educators must help consumers understand that organic cereals are not necessarily more nutritious and their consumption could result in excessive intake of undesirable nutrients, such as fat, sugar and sodium.

Download Full-text