scholarly journals Development of the Choices 5-Level Criteria to Support Multiple Food System Actions

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 4509
Author(s):  
Gianluca Tognon ◽  
Belen Beltramo ◽  
Rutger Schilpzand ◽  
Lauren Lissner ◽  
Annet J. C. Roodenburg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food System ◽  
Food Products ◽  
Food Group ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Health Policies ◽  
Flexible Tool ◽  
Nutrient Profiling ◽  
Nutrition Policies ◽  
Marketing To Children ◽  
Threshold Criteria

In 2008, the Choices International Foundation developed its logo criteria, identifying best-in-class food products. More advanced, global and graded nutrient profiling systems (NPSs) are needed to substantiate different national nutrition policies. The objective of this work was to extend Choices NPS to identify five levels of the healthiness of food products, so that the Choices NPS can also be used to support other nutrition policies, next to front-of-pack labelling. Based on the same principles as the previous logo criteria, four sets of threshold criteria were determined using a combination of compliance levels, calculated from a large international food group-specific database, the Choices logo criteria, and WHO-NPSs developed to restrict marketing to children. Validation consisted of a comparison with indicator foods from food-based dietary guidelines from various countries. Some thresholds were adjusted after the validation, e.g., because intermediate thresholds were too lenient. This resulted in a new international NPS that can be applied to different contexts and to support a variety of health policies, to prevent both undernutrition and obesity. It can efficiently evaluate mixed food products and represents a flexible tool, applicable in various settings and populations.

scholarly journals Strategies to prevent the metabolic syndrome at the population level: role of authorities and non-governmental bodies

2000 ◽  
Vol 83 (S1) ◽  
pp. S181-S186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Åke Bruce
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Syndrome ◽  
Dietary Fibre ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Nutrient Content ◽  
Food Products ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Health Claims ◽  
The Metabolic Syndrome ◽  
International Policies ◽  
Nutrition Policies

The remarkable increase over the past 40 years in some chronic diseases, including the metabolic syndrome, has increased the demand for government and international policies to encourage various approaches to decrease the risk of these diseases. There are some prerequisites for working out successful national food and nutrition policies. Firstly, it is necessary to have a clear picture of the dietary pattern in a country and its associated public health problems. Based on these data, nutrient recommendations and goals are formulated by international or national scientific committees. Governments should translate these nutrient goals into food goals and eventually into national dietary guidelines. The means by which the national authorities can implement a nutrition policy include fortification and supplementation. Equally important are educational and informative tools, such as labelling on the packed food products including information about ingredients and nutrient content. With respect to the metabolic syndrome, this implies nutrient recommendations regarding the intake of fat and carbohydrates (energy per cent) and dietary fibre; dietary guidelines regarding balance between energy intake and expenditure; decreased consumption of products rich in fat and increased consumption of cereals and other products rich in dietary fibre, etc.; recommendations from the authorities regarding nutrient labelling (content of fat and dietary fibre) on relevant products; and nutrient and health claims and other aids (symbols) as tools to make it easier for consumers to select the appropriate food products.

scholarly journals Food-Based Dietary Guidelines Make Seafood a Priority, Sustainability an Afterthought

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 139-139
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Graham ◽  
Andrew L Thorne-Lyman ◽  
Dave Love ◽  
Elizabeth Nussbaumer ◽  
Martin Bloem ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food System ◽  
Food Group ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Portion Size ◽  
Funding Sources ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
Food And Agriculture Organization ◽  
Healthy Diets ◽  
Species Type ◽  
Animal Source Food

Abstract Objectives National food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) are adapted by governments reflecting their nation's food system and specific nutrition context, with varied approaches by country. Seafood is commonly included as one of many items in a “meat” or “animal-source” food group. It is currently unclear whether FBDG recommendations for seafood are achievable for the food supply, equitable for people, or sustainable for the planet. We seek to (1) Review the specific recommendations of national FBDGs related to seafood intake, quantifying the amount of seafood recommended for adults (2) Document the rationale for seafood consumption and mentions of sustainability (3) Estimate the supply required to meet recommendations and compare it with national fish production for each country. Methods The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) FBDG database was used to identify 92 countries with officially recognized FBDGs. Extracted data include (1) Recommended consumption of seafood (amounts, standard portion size, frequency of consumption and species/type) and (2) Mentions of sustainability. To calculate the fish supply needed to fulfill recommendations, conversions from cooked portions to raw (grams) seafood weights were used. These converted figures were then compared against that from FAO FishStat and the Sea Around Us database, and gaps/surpluses by country were identified. Mentions of sustainability were evaluated in terms of specific mention of fish vs. more generic recommendations. Results Out of 92 FBDGs, 77 mentioned seafood. Out of 40 high-income country's FBDG, 35 countries have a seafood servings per week recommendation, but only 23 provide serving size recommendations. Final presented results will illustrate the differences in the supply of seafood needed to meet recommended consumption levels. Sustainability was mentioned in eight guidelines independently of seafood and five additional mentioned seafood and sustainability together. Implications for sustainability of seafood production and global trade and nutritional status of populations will be discussed. Conclusions Seafood is systematically noted for healthy diets but rarely based on sustainable limits nor linked to sustainable goals. Funding Sources Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Distinguished Professor Fund, Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future.

scholarly journals Consumption of maize food group and its contribution on the diet of rural women in México

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (OCE2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandra Donaji Benítez-Arciniega ◽  
Ivonne Vizcarra-Bordi ◽  
Teresa Ochoa-Rivera ◽  
María del Carmen Guzmán-Márquez ◽  
Lizbeth Morales-González ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Diet Quality ◽  
Rural Women ◽  
Nutrient Intake ◽  
Food System ◽  
Food Products ◽  
Food Group ◽  
Adult Women ◽  
Food Groups ◽  
High Consumption

AbstractNative maize is the main cereal in the diet in rural communities in México, especially in those with a traditional maize-based food-pattern. Although maize has a high nutritional value, its consumption in rural communities has declined in recent decades. Traditional food replacement by modern and processed foods seems to adversely affect the composition of the diet. The aims of this study were: to evaluate the consumption of maize, its influence on nutrient intake in Matlatzincas women, and to analyze the association between the intake of maize food products with specific nutrients within the context of the most current dietary pattern in this indigenous group from central México. In this longitudinal study, we assessed diet over a one-year period, using eight 24-h dietary recalls and a food frequency questionnaire in a rural representative sample of 92 indigenous women aged 19 to 90 years. We derived dietary patterns using principal component analysis based on the intake of ten predefined food groups according to the Mexican equivalents food system. A specific food group based on maize products (maize-food-group) such as tortilla, sopes, pozole, atole, pinole, tacos, etc., was created to identify separately maize consumption in the habitual diet. The percentage of daily energy intake attributed to maize-food-group as well as the intake of macro and micronutrients were estimated. Based on the nutrimental composition of each food group, we analyzed habitual intakes of energy (kcal/d), carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, fiber, vitamins A, D, C and B12 (mg/d), and micronutrients: phosphorus, calcium, iron and zinc (mg/d). Analysis of variance and Pearsońs correlation test were used to evaluate the association between the tertiles of the consumption of maize-food-group and nutrient intake. Additionally, a diet score was calculated to assess diet quality according to maize-food-group consumption. All dietary data were energy-adjusted for the analysis. The consumption of maize-based-foods corresponded to 23.0% of the total caloric intake. Consumption of maize was higher among older women. Consumption of maize-food-group was positively correlated with the ingest of proteins, lipids, dietary fiber, calcium, phosphorus, iron, B12 vitamin, D vitamin and energy (p < 0.05). Better diet quality was associated with a high consumption of maize-food-group. We conclude that the high consumption of maize food products and its positive correlation with the intake of recommended nutrients for healthy diet in adult women, needs interventions in public health to promote a better diet-quality aimed to increase the intake of maize-based food group.

scholarly journals Toward an Evidence-Based Definition and Classification of Carbohydrate Food Quality: An Expert Panel Report

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 2667
Author(s):  
Kevin B. Comerford ◽  
Yanni Papanikolaou ◽  
Julie Miller Jones ◽  
Judith Rodriguez ◽  
Joanne Slavin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Quality ◽  
Diet Quality ◽  
Expert Panel ◽  
Present Report ◽  
Food Group ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Carbohydrate Quality ◽  
Dietary Guidelines For Americans

Carbohydrate-containing crops provide the bulk of dietary energy worldwide. In addition to their various carbohydrate forms (sugars, starches, fibers) and ratios, these foods may also contain varying amounts and combinations of proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, prebiotics, and anti-nutritional factors that may impact diet quality and health. Currently, there is no standardized or unified way to assess the quality of carbohydrate foods for the overall purpose of improving diet quality and health outcomes, creating an urgent need for the development of metrics and tools to better define and classify high-quality carbohydrate foods. The present report is based on a series of expert panel meetings and a scoping review of the literature focused on carbohydrate quality indicators and metrics produced over the last 10 years. The report outlines various approaches to assessing food quality, and proposes next steps and principles for developing improved metrics for assessing carbohydrate food quality. The expert panel concluded that a composite metric based on nutrient profiling methods featuring inputs such as carbohydrate–fiber–sugar ratios, micronutrients, and/or food group classification could provide useful and informative measures for guiding researchers, policymakers, industry, and consumers towards a better understanding of carbohydrate food quality and overall healthier diets. The identification of higher quality carbohydrate foods could improve evidence-based public health policies and programming—such as the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

scholarly journals Prospective associations of four nutrient profiles with weigh gain, overweight and obesity risk

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Egnell ◽  
B Neal ◽  
C Ni Mhurchu ◽  
M Rayner ◽  
A Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Nutritional Quality ◽  
Overweight And Obesity ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Nutrient Profiling ◽  
Nutrition Policies ◽  
Food Standards ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Dietary Indices

Abstract Background Nutrient Profiling Systems (NPSs), including the UK Food Standards Agency NPS and its variants are used to classify foods according to their nutritional composition for nutrition policies. The prospective validity of these NPSs requires however further investigation. The study investigates the associations of the original Food Standards Agency (FSA)-NPS and three variants - the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criterion (NPSC), the Health Star Rating (HSR) system NPS and the French NPS (HCSP-NPS) -, which are used as a basis for nutrition policies, with weight status. Methods Dietary indices based on each of the four investigated NPSs applied at the food level were computed at the individual level to characterize the diet quality of 71,178 French individuals from the NutriNet-Santé cohort. Associations of these Dietary Indices (DIs) (as tertiles) with weight gain were assessed using multivariable mixed models, and with overweight and obesity risks using multivariable Cox models. Results For the four NPSs, participants with a lower diet nutritional quality were more likely to have an increase in body mass index over time (median follow-up of 3.14 ± 2.76 years, beta coefficients positive, all p ≤ 0.0001), and an increased risk of overweight (HRT3vs.T1=1.27 [1.17-1.37] for the HCSP-DI, followed by the original FSA-DI with HRT3vs.T1=1.18 [1.09-1.28], the NPSC-DI with HRT3vs.T1=1.14 [1.06-1.24] and the HSR-DI, HRT3vs.T1=1.12 [1.04-1.21]). Whilst differences were small, the HCSP-DI appeared to show significantly greater association with risk of overweight compared to other NPS. Conclusions Less healthy diets defined using the Food Standards Agency-NPS and related systems were all associated with weight gain and overweight risk. Demonstrating this association with health outcomes is an important indicator of one validity dimension of NPSs and supports their use in public policies for the prevention of diet-related chronic diseases. Key messages Nutrient profile models of foods and beverages allow capturing the nutritional quality of diets and are prospectively associated with weight gain and obesity. The French NPS which underpins the front-of-pack Nutri-Score appeared to have a small but significant higher performance.

An assessment of the water use associated with Australian diets using a planetary boundary framework

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 1570-1575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bradley G Ridoutt ◽  
Danielle Baird ◽  
Kim Anastasiou ◽  
Gilly A Hendrie
Keyword(s):  
Water Use ◽  
Health Survey ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Food System ◽  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Australian Health ◽  
Activity Component ◽  
Intervention Point

AbstractObjective:Agriculture accounts for around 70 % of global freshwater withdrawals. As such, the food system has been identified as a critical intervention point to address water scarcity. Various studies have identified dietary patterns that contribute less to water scarcity. However, it is unclear what level of reduction is necessary to be considered sustainable. The pursuit of unnecessarily aggressive reductions could limit dietary diversity. Our objective was to assess the sustainability of water use supporting Australian dietary habits and the adequacy of current dietary guidelines.Design:Dietary intake data were obtained from the National Nutrition and Physical Activity component of the Australian Health Survey. For each individual daily diet, the water scarcity footprint was quantified, following ISO14046:2014, as well as a diet quality score. Water scarcity footprint results were compared with the planetary boundary for freshwater use downscaled to the level of an individual diet.Setting:Australia.Participants:9341 adults participating in the Australian Health Survey.Results:Dietary water scarcity footprints averaged 432·6 L-eq (95 % CI 432·5, 432·8), less than the 695 litres/person per d available to support the current global population of 7·8 billion, and the 603 litres/person per d available for a future population of 9 billion. Diets based on the Australian Dietary Guidelines required 521 L-eq/d, or 379 L-eq/d with lower water scarcity footprint food choices.Conclusions:Diets based on the Australian Dietary Guidelines were found to be within the freshwater planetary boundary. What is needed in Australia is greater compliance with dietary guidelines.

scholarly journals The health implications of distrust in the food system: findings from the dimensions of trust in food systems scale (DOTIFS scale)

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Tonkin ◽  
Trevor Webb ◽  
Julie Henderson ◽  
Paul R. Ward ◽  
John Coveney ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
Content Validity ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Consumer Trust ◽  
Safety Practices ◽  
Health Related ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Consumer trust in food systems is essential for consumers, food industry, policy makers and regulators. Yet no comprehensive tool for measuring consumer trust in food systems exists. Similarly, the impact that trust in the food system has on health-related food behaviours is yet to be empirically examined. The aim of this research was to develop a comprehensive instrument to measure trust in the food system (the Dimensions of Trust in Food Systems Scale (DOTIFS scale) and use it to explore whether trust in the food system impacts consumers’ health-related behaviours. Methods The DOTIFS scale was developed using sociological theories of trust and pre-existing instruments measuring aspects of trust. It was pilot tested and content validity was assessed with 85 participants. A mixed-methods exploration of the health-related behaviours of 18 conveniently sampled Australian consumers with differing trust scores determined by the DOTIFS scale was then conducted. During March–July 2019 shopping- and home-observations were used to assess participants’ food safety practices and exposure to public health fortification programs, while the CSIRO Healthy Diet Score determined their adherence to national dietary guidelines. Results The DOTIFS scale was found to have high comprehension, ease of use and content validity. Statistical analysis showed scale scores significantly trended as predicted by participants’ stated level of trust. Differences were found in the way individuals with more or less trust in the food system comply with national dietary guidelines, are exposed to public health fortification programs, and adhere to recommended food safety practices. Conclusions The DOTIFS scale is a comprehensive, sociologically- and empirically- informed assessment of consumer trust in food systems that can be self-administered online to large populations and used to measure changes in consumer trust over time. The differences in health-related behaviours between individuals with varying levels of trust warrant further investigation.

scholarly journals Food and Food Groups in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): The Design of the Groningen Anti-Inflammatory Diet (GrAID)

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1067
Author(s):  
Marjo J. E. Campmans-Kuijpers ◽  
Gerard Dijkstra
Keyword(s):  
Inflammatory Bowel Disease ◽  
Bowel Disease ◽  
Food Group ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Group Level ◽  
Food Groups ◽  
Inflammatory Bowel ◽  
Anti Inflammatory

Diet plays a pivotal role in the onset and course of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Patients are keen to know what to eat to reduce symptoms and flares, but dietary guidelines are lacking. To advice patients, an overview of the current evidence on food (group) level is needed. This narrative review studies the effects of food (groups) on the onset and course of IBD and if not available the effects in healthy subjects or animal and in vitro IBD models. Based on this evidence the Groningen anti-inflammatory diet (GrAID) was designed and compared on food (group) level to other existing IBD diets. Although on several foods conflicting results were found, this review provides patients a good overview. Based on this evidence, the GrAID consists of lean meat, eggs, fish, plain dairy (such as milk, yoghurt, kefir and hard cheeses), fruit, vegetables, legumes, wheat, coffee, tea and honey. Red meat, other dairy products and sugar should be limited. Canned and processed foods, alcohol and sweetened beverages should be avoided. This comprehensive review focuses on anti-inflammatory properties of foods providing IBD patients with the best evidence on which foods they should eat or avoid to reduce flares. This was used to design the GrAID.

scholarly journals Diets within Environmental Limits: The Climate Impact of Current and Recommended Australian Diets

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 1122
Author(s):  
Bradley Ridoutt ◽  
Danielle Baird ◽  
Gilly A. Hendrie
Keyword(s):  
Food System ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Climate Impact ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Additional Contribution ◽  
Australian Health ◽  
Dietary Strategy ◽  
Sustainability Concept ◽  
Operating Space ◽  
Environmental Limits

Planetary boundaries are an important sustainability concept, defining absolute limits for resource use and emissions that need to be respected to avoid major and potentially irreversible earth system change. To remain within the safe operating space for humanity, there is a need for urgent adoption of climate-neutral diets, which make no additional contribution to warming. In the first study of its kind, a new climate metric, the Global Warming Potential Star (GWP*), was used to assess greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with 9341 Australian adult diets obtained from the Australian Health Survey. Dietary climate footprints averaged 3.4 kg CO2-equivelent per person per day, with total energy intake explaining around one quarter of the variation. Energy-dense and nutrient-poor discretionary foods contributed around one third. With lower climate footprint food choices, a diet consistent with current Australian dietary guidelines had a 42% lower climate footprint. Currently, it is not possible to define a climate-neutral dietary strategy in Australia because there are very few climate-neutral foods in the Australian food system. To bring Australian diets into line with the climate stabilization goals of the Paris Agreement, the most important need is for innovation across the agricultural and food processing industries to expand the range of climate-neutral foods available.

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