scholarly journals The Establishment of Nutrient Profiles for Solid Pre-packaged Food in China

Author(s):  
Jing Zhu ◽  
Xuesong Xiang ◽  
Xin Wang ◽  
Hans Verhagen ◽  
Yuexin Yang

Objectives: To provide scientific and practical criteria for Nutrient Profiles (NP) in China in order to evaluate the overall nutritional quality of solid pre-packaged food according to their nutrient composition. Methods: Based on data obtained from a survey of experts’ grading of foods available in China, a NP model was established, which covered scope of application, choice and balance of nutrients, choice of benchmarks and algorithm used.  Results: A NP model for solid foods was established as a scoring model, the reference amount was 100 g. The recommended intake standards were Nutrient Reference Value (NRV) in labeling regulation. Nutrients taken into account included qualifying nutrients (dietary fiber, vitamin C) and disqualifying nutrients (total fat, saturated fatty acid (SFA), sodium). A total score was calculated as (score of dietary fiber + score of vitamin C) – (score of total fat + score of SFA + score of sodium). Foods with a total score ≤-5were qualified as "less healthy", a score of -4 ≤ total score ≤ 2 was "intermediate" and a total score ≥3 indicated "healthier". Conclusion: A NP model for pre-packaged foods in China was established that can be used to assess and compare the impact of different foods on diet, and help decide which pre-packaged foods are qualified to carry nutrition and health claims.

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.


2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 2132-2139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong Hun Kim ◽  
Wing Gi Amanda Liu ◽  
Anna Rangan ◽  
Luke Gemming

AbstractObjectiveTo compare the Health Star Rating (HSR) and the nutritional profile of branded and generic packaged foods in Australia.DesignIn-store audits of packaged food products capturing data on HSR and nutritional content to analyse differences between branded and generic foods across ten food categories.SettingThe audit was conducted in four major supermarket chains across various locations within metropolitan Sydney regions, Australia.ResultsA total of 6269 products were analysed with 57 % of generic products and 28 % of branded products displaying an HSR. The median HSR of branded products was significantly greater than for generic products overall (4·0 v. 3·5, P<0·005) and in six out of ten food categories (P<0·005). However, when branded products could be matched to their generic counterparts for paired comparisons (n 146), no statistical difference was observed in all ten food categories. Branded products that chose to display an HSR had significantly lower saturated fat and Na, but higher fibre contents than branded products not displaying an HSR.ConclusionsOur data show no difference in the HSR or nutrient profiles of similar branded and generic products that display HSR. Branded products appear to exploit the voluntary nature of the HSR scheme, preferentially displaying an HSR on healthier products compared with their generic counterparts.


2016 ◽  
Vol 116 (6) ◽  
pp. 1087-1094 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haya H. Al-Ani ◽  
Anandita Devi ◽  
Helen Eyles ◽  
Boyd Swinburn ◽  
Stefanie Vandevijvere

AbstractNutrition and health claims are displayed to influence consumers’ food choices. This study assessed the extent and nature of nutrition and health claims on the front-of-pack of ‘healthy’ and ‘less-healthy’ packaged foods in New Zealand. Foods from eight categories, for which consumption may affect the risk of obesity and diet-related chronic diseases, were selected from the 2014 Nutritrack database. The internationally standardised International Network for Food and Obesity/Non-Communicable Diseases Research, Monitoring and Action Support (INFORMAS) taxonomy was used to classify claims on packages. The Nutrient Profiling Scoring Criterion (NPSC) was used to classify products as ‘healthy’ or ‘less healthy’. In total, 7526 products were included, with 47 % (n 3557) classified as ‘healthy’. More than one-third of products displayed at least one nutrition claim and 15 % featured at least one health claim on the front-of-pack. Claims were found on one-third of ‘less-healthy’ products; 26 % of those products displayed nutrition claims and 7 % featured health claims. About 45 % of ‘healthy’ products displayed nutrition claims and 23 % featured health claims. Out of 7058 individual claims, the majority (69 %) were found on ‘healthy’ products. Cereals displayed the greatest proportion of nutrition and health claims (1503 claims on 564 products), of which one-third were displayed on ‘less-healthy’ cereals. Such claims could be misleading consumers’ perceptions of nutritional quality of foods. It needs to be explored how current regulations on nutrition and health claims in New Zealand could be further strengthened (e.g. using the NPSC for nutrition claims, including general health claims as per the INFORMAS taxonomy) to ensure consumers are protected and not misled.


2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 488-495
Author(s):  
Elizabeth K Dunford ◽  
Jennifer M Poti

AbstractObjective:To simulate the impact that Na reductions in food categories that are the largest contributors to dietary Na intake would have on population Na intake from packaged foods among US adults and children.Design:24 h Dietary recall data were used. For each store-bought packaged food product reported by participants, we generated sales-weighted Na content at the median and 25th percentile using Nutrition Facts Panel data from 193 195 products purchased by US households. The impact that Na reductions would have on population Na intake, overall and by sociodemographic subgroup, was examined.SettingsUS households.Participants:Children aged 2–18 years (n 2948) and adults aged >18 years (n 4878), 2011–2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.Results:Na intake from packaged foods was 1258 (se 21) mg for adults and 1215 (se 35) mg for children. Top-ten packaged food group sources contributed 67 % of Na intake. For adults and children, there was a decrease of 8·7 % (109 mg) and 8·0 % (97 mg), respectively, in Na intake if the top-ten sources reduced Na from the median to the 25th percentile. Although absolute reduction in intake varied between sociodemographic subgroups, significant differences were not observed.Conclusions:The study demonstrated that if Na reduction shifted the top-ten packaged food group sources of dietary Na intake from the median to 25th percentile, population Na intake would be reduced by 9 % in US adults and children. These findings will help inform the US government’s Na reduction targets, as well as policy makers’ understanding of differences in intake of critical sub-populations in the USA.


2021 ◽  
pp. 153537022199578
Author(s):  
Kirsten Berding ◽  
Carina Carbia ◽  
John F Cryan

Healthy dietary intake has been acknowledged for decades as one of the main contributors to health. More recently, the field of nutritional psychiatry has progressed our understanding regarding the importance of nutrition in supporting mental health and cognitive function. Thereby, individual nutrients, including omega-3 fatty acids and polyphenols, have been recognized to be key drivers in this relationship. With the progress in appreciating the influence of dietary fiber on health, increasingly research is focusing on deciphering its role in brain processes. However, while the importance of dietary fiber in gastrointestinal and metabolic health is well established, leading to the development of associated health claims, the evidence is not conclusive enough to support similar claims regarding cognitive function. Albeit the increasing knowledge of the impact of dietary fiber on mental health, only a few human studies have begun to shed light onto the underexplored connection between dietary fiber and cognition. Moreover, the microbiota-gut-brain axis has emerged as a key conduit for the effects of nutrition on the brain, especially fibers, that are acted on by specific bacteria to produce a variety of health-promoting metabolites. These metabolites (including short chain fatty acids) as well as the vagus nerve, the immune system, gut hormones, or the kynurenine pathway have been proposed as underlying mechanisms of the microbiota-brain crosstalk. In this minireview, we summarize the evidence available from human studies on the association between dietary fiber intake and cognitive function. We provide an overview of potential underlying mechanisms and discuss remaining questions that need to be answered in future studies. While this field is moving at a fast pace and holds promise for future important discoveries, especially data from human cohorts are required to further our understanding and drive the development of public health recommendations regarding dietary fiber in brain health.


2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laxman Bablani ◽  
Cliona Ni Mhurchu ◽  
Bruce Neal ◽  
Christopher Skeels ◽  
Kevin Staub ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Front-of-pack nutrition labelling (FoPL) of packaged foods can promote healthier diets. Australia & New Zealand (NZ) adopted the voluntary Health Star Rating (HSR) scheme in 2014. We studied the impact of voluntary adoption of HSR on food reformulation overall, and for more- versus less-healthy foods. Methods Annual nutrition information panel data was collected for non-seasonal packaged foods sold in major supermarkets in Auckland from 2013-19, and Sydney from 2014-18. We used difference-in-differences to estimate reformulation associated with HSR adoption. Results Healthier products adopted HSR more than unhealthy products: 35% of products that achieved four or more stars displayed the label compared to 15% of products that achieved two stars or less. Products that adopted HSR were 6.5% & 10.7% more likely to increase their rating by ≥ 0.5 stars in Australia and NZ, respectively. Labelled products showed a -4.2% [95% CI -6.5% to -1.9%] relative decline in sodium content in NZ, but there was no sodium change in Australia. There was a -2.3% [-3.7% to -1.0 %] change in sugar content in NZ and a -1.1% [-2.2% to 0.0%] difference in Australia. Initially unhealthy products showed larger reformulation when adopting HSR than healthier products. Conclusions Overall, introduction of HSR had a small effect on product reformulation. The voluntary nature of the HSR program lowers effectiveness because labels were mostly placed on already healthy products. These already healthy products had limited scope for reformulation. Key messages HSR adoption by unhealthy products should be incentivized, or mandated, by governments to maximise reformulation


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (12) ◽  
pp. 3746
Author(s):  
Magdalena Polak-Śliwińska ◽  
Małgorzata Tańska

The benefits of natural honeybee products (e.g., honey, royal jelly, beeswax, propolis, beevenom and pollen) to the immune system are remarkable, and many of them are involved in the induction of antibody production, maturation of immune cells and stimulation of the immune system. The type of plants in the geographical area, climatic conditions and production method have a significantly influence on the nutritional quality of honey. However, this variability can influence consumer liking by the sensory attributes of the product. The aim of this work was to compare the most popular honeys from Poland in terms of nutritional value, organoleptic properties and antioxidant activity. In the study, five varieties of honey (honeydew, forest, buckwheat, linden and dandelion) from conventional and organic production methods were tested. The nutritional characteristics of honey samples included acidity, content of water, sugars, vitamin C, HMF and phenolics (total and flavonoids), while honey color, taste, aroma and consistency were investigated in the organoleptic characteristics. The antioxidant activity was determined in water- and ethanol-soluble honey extracts using DPPH and ORAC tests. The results showed that organoleptic and nutritional characteristics of popular Polish honeys differ significantly in relation to plant source and production method. The significant effect of honey variety on the content of HMF, saccharose and phenolics, as well as acidity and antioxidant capacity were noted. The impact of variety and variety × production method interaction was significant in the case of the content of vitamin C, glucose and fructose. A visible difference of buckwheat and forest honeys from other samples was observed. The highest content of total phenolics with antioxidant activity based on the SET mechanism was found in buckwheat honeys, while forest honeys were richer in flavonoids.


Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 485
Author(s):  
Vera Schmid ◽  
Antje Trabert ◽  
Judith (Schäfer) Keller ◽  
Mirko Bunzel ◽  
Heike P. Karbstein ◽  
...  

Food by-products can be used as natural and sustainable food ingredients. However, a modification is needed to improve the technofunctional properties according to the specific needs of designated applications. A lab-scale twin-screw extruder was used to process enzymatically treated apple pomace from commercial fruit juice production. To vary the range of the thermomechanical treatment, various screw speeds (200, 600, 1000 min−1), and screw configurations were applied to the raw material. Detailed chemical and functional analyses were performed to develop a comprehensive understanding of the impact of the extrusion processing on apple pomace composition and technofunctional properties as well as structures of individual polymers. Extrusion at moderate thermomechanical conditions increased the water absorption, swelling, and viscosity of the material. An increase in thermomechanical stress resulted in a higher water solubility index, but negatively affected the water absorption index, viscosity, and swelling. Scanning electron microscopy showed an extrusion-processing-related disruption of the cell wall. Dietary fiber analysis revealed an increase of soluble dietary fiber from 12.6 to 17.2 g/100 g dry matter at maximum thermo-mechanical treatment. Dietary fiber polysaccharide analysis demonstrated compositional changes, mainly in the insoluble dietary fiber fraction. In short, pectin polysaccharides seem to be susceptible to thermo-mechanical stress, especially arabinans as neutral side chains of rhamnogalacturonan I.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 3634
Author(s):  
Teresa Leszczyńska ◽  
Barbara Piekło ◽  
Aneta Kopeć ◽  
Benno F. Zimmermann

This study compares the content of basic nutrients (proteins, fats, digestible carbohydrates, dietary fiber and ash), steviol glycosides, selected antioxidants (vitamin C, total polyphenols) and antioxidant activity in dried leaves of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni cultivated in Poland, Paraguay and Brazil and available in the direct sale. The basic chemical composition was determined by standard AOAC (Association of Official Analytical Chemists) methods. Content of steviol glycosides was determined by the UHPLC-UV chromatographic method. Total polyphenols content was expressed as gallic acid equivalent (GAE) and catechins equivalent (CE). Antioxidant activity was measured as ABTS●+ free radical scavenging activity. Dried leaves of S. rebaudiana grown in Poland had significantly higher contents of dietary fiber, and lower protein and ash content, compared to those derived from Paraguay and Brazil. The former had, however, considerably higher contents of total steviol glycosides, stevioside and rebaudioside D, compared to the remaining two plants. In the Paraguay-derived dried leaves, the content of rebaudioside A, C, E and rubusoside was found to be significantly lower. Dried leaves of S. rebaudiana Bertoni, cultivated in Poland, contained substantially more vitamin C and a similar content of total polyphenols, compared to those from Brazil and Paraguay. The examined material from Brazil and Paraguay plantations showed similar antioxidant activity, while that obtained from Polish cultivation was characterized by a significantly lower value of this parameter.


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