scholarly journals The WHO South-East Asia Region Nutrient Profile Model Is Quite Appropriate for India: An Exploration of 31,516 Food Products

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 2799
Author(s):  
Chandra Pandav ◽  
Lindsey Smith Taillie ◽  
Donna R. Miles ◽  
Bridget A. Hollingsworth ◽  
Barry M. Popkin

The rapid rise in prevalence of overweight/obesity, as well as high prevalence of type 2 diabetes and other nutrition-related noncommunicable diseases, has led the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to propose a front-of-package labeling (FOPL) regulation. An effective FOPL system applies a nutrient profile model that identifies foods high in sugar, sodium, and saturated fat that would receive a warning label for consumers to effectively discern between more and less healthy foods. Previous Nutrition Alchemy data collected by the food industry (n = 1306 products) estimated that approximately 96% of foods in India would have at least one warning label based on the FSSAI proposed FOPL. This near universal coverage of warning labels may be inaccurate and misleading. To address this, the current study compared two nutrient profile models, the WHO South-East Asia Region Organization (SEARO) and the Chilean Warning Octagon (CWO) Phase 3, applied to food products available in the Indian market from 2015–2020, collected through Mintel Global New Products Database (n = 10,501 products). Results suggest that 68% of foods and beverages would have at least one ‘ high-in’ level warning label. This study highlights the need to include a more comprehensive sample of food products for assessing the value of warning labels.

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (OCE2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bettina Meidlinger ◽  
Christian Luipersbeck ◽  
Melanie U. Bruckmüller ◽  
Birgit Dieminger-Schnürch ◽  
Bernadette Bürger-Schwaninger ◽  
...  

AbstractIntroduction:Children are exposed to marketing of foods with a high content of energy, fat, sugar and salt on a daily basis, which can have negative consequences via increasing children's preferences for those foods. An unhealthy diet can promote obesity and other noncommunicable diseases. The objective of this scientific work was to assess the applicability of the nutrient profile model (NPM) for food products available in the Austrian market. The model was developed by the WHO Regional Office for Europe to reduce the impact of marketing to children.Material and Methods:The NPM was applied to food product information, which was recorded for the project “Food in the Spotlight” (www.lebensmittellupe.at). Food products were assigned to food categories made by the WHO and the NPM was applied to identify products, which should not be allowed to be marketed to children. As the WHO NPM is flexible and can be adapted to the national context possible adaptations of the model to the Austrian market were developed.Results:Among those product groups which were included in Food in the Spotlight 0% of cocoa (n = 89), milk drinks with additional ingredients (e.g. strawberry milk, n = 111), soup pearl croutons (n = 13), ketchups (n = 79) and pestos (n = 119), 0.4% of soft drinks (Cola, lemonade etc., n = 454), 8% of pizza and pizza-like products (n = 274), 13% of yoghurt products with additional ingredients (n = 611), 18% of sugos (n = 193), 28% of fruit and vegetable purees (n = 36) and 33% of breakfast cereals (n = 678) were found to be eligible for marketing to children. Those 0.4% of soft drinks which would be allowed are two waters flavoured with aroma. Pure products such as whole milk and yoghurts with 3.5% fat would not be allowed because they exceed the thresholds for total fat. For those products with a packaging appealing to children and adolescents almost none passed the NPM.Conclusion:Our results showed, that before the NPM can be implemented in Austria, it is important to adapt the model to national dietary guidelines. Additionally, food categories could be modified to be more suitable for the Austrian market, as some products which are common in Austria could not be easily assigned to the WHO food categories. To adapt the WHO NPM to the national context cooperation between health experts and food manufacturers is necessary.


2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (8) ◽  
pp. 1409-1417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suladda Pongutta ◽  
Pitipa Chongwatpol ◽  
Parwin Tantayapirak ◽  
Stefanie Vandevijvere

AbstractObjectiveThe present study assessed the nutrition information displayed on ready-to-eat packaged foods and the nutritional quality of those food products in Thailand.DesignIn March 2015, the nutrition information panels and nutrition and health claims on ready-to-eat packaged foods were collected from the biggest store of each of the twelve major retailers, using protocols developed by the International Network for Food and Obesity/Non-communicable Diseases Research, Monitoring and Action Support (INFORMAS). The Thai Nutrient Profile Model was used to classify food products according to their nutritional quality as ‘healthier’ or ‘less healthy’.ResultsIn total, information from 7205 food products was collected across five broad food categories. Out of those products, 5707 (79·2 %), 2536 (35·2 %) and 1487 (20·6 %) carried a nutrition facts panel, a Guideline Daily Amount (GDA) label and health-related claims, respectively. Only 4691 (65·1 %) and 2484 (34·5 %) of the products that displayed the nutrition facts or a GDA label, respectively, followed the guidelines of the Thai Food and Drug Administration. In total, 4689 products (65·1 %) could be classified according to the Thai Nutrient Profile Model, of which 432 products (9·2 %) were classified as healthier. Moreover, among the 1487 products carrying health-related claims, 1219 (82·0 %) were classified as less healthy. Allowing less healthy food products to carry claims could mislead consumers and result in overconsumption of ready-to-eat food products.ConclusionsThe findings suggest effective policies should be implemented to increase the relative availability of healthier ready-to-eat packaged foods, as well as to improve the provision of nutrition information on labels in Thailand.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Mohd Mizan Mohammad Aslam

<p>This study analyzes the existence and political history of Kumpulan Militan Malaysia (Malaysia Militant Group-KMM); the most spectacular Muslim militant group to recently emerge from Malaysia. Using an interpretive framework derived from typology of radicalism, this study exposes the roots of the group and its transformation into a militant movement. Based on extensive fieldwork, numerous interviews and in-depth research of related documents, this study demonstrates that the existence of KMM cannot be dissociated from Afghanistan’s global Jihadist campaign.  This study analyzes the activities of KMM in the context of radical Islam in the South East Asia region and its wider connection, particularly with the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). Findings from fieldwork research conducted with active and ex-members of KMM and JI are presented to find the answer to the question pertaining the involvement of these two groups in terrorism activities in Southeast Asia.  Southeast Asian contemporary social and political scenarios have been build-up from a long history of rebellious freedom fighters against colonial super-powers. In addition to nationalism, Islamization has also played a significant role in establishing freedom movements in the 1940s and 1950s. Systematic pressure under colonial powers and harsh policies implemented by ultra nationalists to these groups resulted in a series of rebellions and defiance such as what happened in Indonesia, Southern Thailand and the Southern Philippines. Historical facts led to radicalism in these countries, which are important for gaining a better knowledge about Muslim radicalism in Southeast Asia also presented in this thesis.  The ‘typology of radicalism’ - the transformation from ‘nominal believers’ to activists, extremists, radicals and terrorists is explained in this research. Understanding Islam and their willingness to perform Jihad as was carried out in Afghanistan has had a significant impact on today’s militants. Finally, this research suggests the best methods for overcoming radicalism and diffusing KMM and JI’s threat in Southeast Asia.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 382-387
Author(s):  
S. Satyanarayana ◽  
V. Bhatia ◽  
P. P. Mandal ◽  
A. Kanchar ◽  
D. Falzon ◽  
...  

In September 2018, all countries made a commitment at the first ever United Nations High‐Level Meeting (UNHLM) on TB, to provide TB preventive treatment (TPT) to at least 30 million people at high‐risk of TB disease between 2018 and 2022. In the WHO South‐East Asia Region (SEA Region), which accounts for 44% of the global TB burden, only 1.2 million high‐risk individuals (household contacts and people living with HIV) were provided TPT (11% of the 10.8 million regional UNHLM TPT target) in 2018 and 2019. By 2020, almost all 11 countries of the SEA Region had revised their policies on TPT target groups and criteria to assess TPT eligibility, and had adopted at least one shorter TPT regimen recommended in the latest WHO TPT guidelines. The major challenges for TPT scale‐up in the SEA Region are resource shortages, knowledge and service delivery/uptake gaps among providers and service recipients, and the lack of adequate quantities of rifapentine for use in shorter TPT regimens. There are several regional opportunities to address these gaps and countries of the SEA Region must make use of these opportunities to scale up TPT services rapidly to reduce the TB burden in the SEA Region.


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