scholarly journals Serving Size and Nutrition Labelling: Implications for Nutrition Information and Nutrition Claims on Packaged Foods

Nutrients ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 891 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie Kliemann ◽  
Mariana Kraemer ◽  
Tailane Scapin ◽  
Vanessa Rodrigues ◽  
Ana Fernandes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Choices ◽  
Nutrition Information ◽  
Food Labelling ◽  
Food Labels ◽  
Nutritional Values ◽  
Nutrition Claims ◽  
Nutrition Labelling ◽  
Packaged Foods ◽  
Serving Sizes ◽  
Serving Size

The presentation of nutrition information on a serving size basis is a strategy that has been adopted by several countries to promote healthy eating. Variation in serving size, however, can alter the nutritional values reported on food labels and compromise the food choices made by the population. This narrative review aimed to discuss (1) current nutrition labelling legislation regarding serving size and (2) the implications of declared serving size for nutrition information available on packaged foods. Most countries with mandatory food labelling require that serving size be presented on food labels, but variation in this information is generally allowed. Studies have reported a lack of standardisation among serving sizes of similar products which may compromise the usability of nutrition information. Moreover, studies indicate that food companies may be varying serving sizes as a marketing strategy to stimulate sales by reporting lower values of certain nutrients or lower energy values on nutrition information labels. There is a need to define the best format for presenting serving size on food labels in order to provide clear and easily comprehensible nutrition information to the consumer.

scholarly journals Serving size on nutrition labeling for processed foods sold in Brazil: Relationship to energy value

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 741-750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie KLIEMANN ◽  
Marcela Boro VEIROS ◽  
David Alejandro GONZÁLEZ-CHICA ◽  
Rossana Pacheco da Costa PROENÇA
Keyword(s):  
Food Choices ◽  
Processed Foods ◽  
Nutrition Labeling ◽  
Food Groups ◽  
Food Labels ◽  
Food Label ◽  
Energy Value ◽  
Label Information ◽  
Serving Sizes ◽  
Serving Size

ABSTRACT Objective: This study aimed to analyze serving sizes declared on food labels with respect to their conformity to Brazilian law, variability among similar foods, and relationship to energy values. Methods: Food label information from 24 groups of processed foods was collected in one supermarket in southern Brazil. Declared serving sizes were classified into five groups according to their level of compliance with those recommended by law: <70% and >130% inadequate and 70-99%, 100% and 101-130% adequate. Descriptive analyses, Spearman correlations, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were applied. Results: A total of 1,953 food products were analyzed, of which 72% reported serving sizes exactly equal to those recommended, and 14% fell within the acceptable 60% range established by law. Even though most foods complied with the law, there was a variation in declared serving sizes among similar foods, with the largest ranges observed for hamburger and meatballs (364 g). In addition, declared serving sizes were significantly and positively correlated to energy value in most food groups, revealing that smaller serving sizes may be used to report lower energy value. Conclusion: The 60% acceptable serving size range established by law may lead to a lack of serving size standardization and significant variability in declared energy values on labels. This can potentially make labels confusing when comparing similar products and thus affect food choices. It is necessary to revise Brazilian law so that serving sizes are standardized among similar foods in order to facilitate healthy food choices.

scholarly journals Sodium content on processed foods for snacks

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 967-975 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariana Vieira dos Santos Kraemer ◽  
Renata Carvalho de Oliveira ◽  
David Alejandro Gonzalez-Chica ◽  
Rossana Pacheco da Costa Proença
Keyword(s):  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sodium Content ◽  
Processed Foods ◽  
Processed Food ◽  
Food Labels ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Nutrition Labelling ◽  
Serving Sizes ◽  
Serving Size

AbstractObjectiveTo assess the Na content reported on the labels of processed foods sold in Brazil that are usually consumed as snacks by children and adolescents.DesignCross-sectional study that assessed Na content and serving size reporting on processed food labels.SettingA supermarket that is part of a large chain in Brazil.SubjectsAll foods available for sale at the study’s location and reported in the literature as snacks present in the diets of Brazilian children and adolescents.ResultsOf the 2945 processed foods, 87 % complied with the reference serving sizes, although variability in reporting was observed in most of the food subgroups. In addition, 21 % of the processed foods had high Na levels (>600 mg/100 g) and 35 % had medium Na levels (>120 and ≤600 mg/100 g). The meats, oils, fats and seeds groups as well as the prepared dishes had higher percentages of foods classified as high Na (81 %, 58 % and 53 %, respectively).ConclusionsMost of the processed foods had high or medium Na content. We emphasize the importance of revising Brazilian nutrition labelling legislation to standardize reference serving sizes to avoid variation. Besides, we point out the potential for reducing Na levels in most processed foods, as evidenced by the variability in Na content within subgroups. Finally, we have identified the need to develop a method to classify Na levels in processed foods with specific parameters for children and adolescents.

scholarly journals Can Food Labels Improve the Food Systems in the World?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Nsamba ◽  
Elezebeth Mathews
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Nutrition Transition ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Food Labelling ◽  
Food Labels ◽  
Nutrition Labelling ◽  
The World ◽  
Consumer Organisations ◽  
Diabetes And Obesity

Food systems across the world have changed from wholesome foods to fast and ultra-refined foods. This nutrition transition has contributed immensely to the rapidly increasing Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes and obesity across the globe. There is a growing need to support consumers in making healthier food choices through information, education and communication, and by targeting the market environment through food labelling. Food labels include ingredients, amounts, allergens, name of manufacturer, country of origin, date of manufacture and expiry. This article aims to raise awareness of the effectiveness of food labelling to improve the food system and, in return, combat the rising NCDs. Nutrition labelling has shown positive results in shaping consumer food choices and improving the quality of food production by food manufacturers. Unfortunately, there is a tendency for food companies to market false information about food, marketing an item to consumers as a healthy food option, when in fact, it is not.Despite increasing calls for mandatory food labelling as a policy strategy to halt the rising prevalence of NCDs, governments require clear evidence supporting the effectiveness of food labelling in improving food choices to make informed decisions. Mandatory labelling would require a strong commitment from all stakeholders, including the food industry, governments, consumer organisations and the trade industry.

scholarly journals Nutritional Quality of Pasta Sold on the Italian Market: The Food Labelling of Italian Products (FLIP) Study

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 171
Author(s):  
Marika Dello Russo ◽  
Carmela Spagnuolo ◽  
Stefania Moccia ◽  
Donato Angelino ◽  
Nicoletta Pellegrini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Salt Content ◽  
Analysis Data ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Nutritional Composition ◽  
Food Labels ◽  
Nutrition Claims ◽  
Italian Market ◽  
Lower Protein ◽  
Fresh Pasta

Pasta represents a staple food in many populations and, in recent years, an increasing number of pasta items has been placed on the market to satisfy needs and trends. The aims of this work were: (i) to investigate the nutritional composition of the different types of pasta currently sold in Italy by collecting the nutrition facts on their packaging; (ii) to compare energy, nutrient and salt content per 100 g and serving in fresh and dried pasta; (iii) to compare the nutrition declaration in pairs of products with and without different declarations (i.e., gluten free (GF), organic, and nutrition claims (NC)). A total of 756 items, made available by 13 retailers present on the Italian market, were included in the analysis. Data showed a wide difference between dried and fresh pasta, with high inter-type variability. A negligible amount of salt was observed in all types of pasta, except for stuffed products, which had a median high quantity of salt (>1 g/100 g and ~1.5 g/serving). Organic pasta had higher fibre and lower protein contents compared to conventional pasta. GF products were higher in carbohydrate and fat but lower in fibre and protein than not-GF products, while only a higher fibre content was found in pasta with NC compared to products not boasting claims. Overall, the results show high variability in terms of nutrition composition among the pasta items currently on the market, supporting the importance of reading and understanding food labels for making informed food choices.

Serving sizes and energy values on the nutrition labels of regular and diet/light processed and ultra-processed dairy products sold in Brazil

2016 ◽  
Vol 118 (7) ◽  
pp. 1579-1593 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priscila Pereira Machado ◽  
Mariana Vieira dos Santos Kraemer ◽  
Nathalie Kliemann ◽  
Cláudia Flemming Colussi ◽  
Marcela Boro Veiros ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Density ◽  
Dairy Products ◽  
Dairy Product ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Nutrition Labels ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Size Information ◽  
Nutrition Labelling ◽  
Serving Sizes ◽  
Serving Size

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse and compare the serving sizes and energy values reported on the nutrition information of all processed and ultra-processed dairy products in their regular and diet/light versions available for sale in a large supermarket in Brazil. Design/methodology/approach – A check was done for associations between the compliance of reported serving sizes, energy values per serving and energy density for regular foods and foods advertised at “diet/light” (with reduced fat and calories). Findings – The data included information from 451 dairy product labels. Most of the products had serving sizes smaller than the reference set by Brazilian law. A high variability of serving sizes was found for similar products. “Diet/light” foods tend to report serving sizes that are even smaller and more inadequate. Moreover, the energy density of these products was similar to that of the regular foods. Smaller serving sizes may be being presented on “diet/light” foods in order to report lower energy values and on similar foods to show non-existent differences in energy values. These results point to the importance of standardizing serving size information on food labels so that consumers have access to clear and accurate information about food products. Originality/value – This was the first census-type study to analyse the serving size information of dairy products at a supermarket of one of the ten largest supermarket chains in Brazil. This work extends the scope of current food labelling and contributes to the discussion about how nutrition labelling has been presented to Brazilian consumers and its possible consequences for food choices and the guarantee of consumer rights.

scholarly journals Nutrition and health claims on healthy and less-healthy packaged food products in New Zealand

2016 ◽  
Vol 116 (6) ◽  
pp. 1087-1094 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haya H. Al-Ani ◽  
Anandita Devi ◽  
Helen Eyles ◽  
Boyd Swinburn ◽  
Stefanie Vandevijvere
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Health Claims ◽  
Nutrition And Health ◽  
Nutrition Claims ◽  
Nutrient Profiling ◽  
Packaged Foods ◽  
Packaged Food ◽  
Nutrition And Health Claims

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.

scholarly journals Breakfast Cereals Carrying Fibre-Related Claims: Do They Have a Better Nutritional Composition Than Those without Such Claims? Results from the Food Labelling of Italian Products (FLIP) Study

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 2225
Author(s):  
Daniela Martini ◽  
Cristian Del Bo’ ◽  
Mauro Serafini ◽  
Marisa Porrini ◽  
Nicoletta Pellegrini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Packaging ◽  
Nutritional Composition ◽  
High Variability ◽  
Food Labelling ◽  
Nutritional Values ◽  
Breakfast Cereals ◽  
Nutritional Information ◽  
Nutrition Claims ◽  
Nutritional Characteristics ◽  
Online Stores

Nutrition claims (NCs) on food packaging are, from one side, an informative tool about the nutritional characteristics of the product. From another side, they could bias the consumer in perceiving such products as healthier than those without claims. In order to investigate whether products with NCs have a better nutritional composition that those without claims, the present study aimed to compare the nutrition facts of 376 breakfast cereals, with and without fibre-related NCs, available in 13 Italian retailer online stores. Among these products, 73 items claimed to be a “source of fibre” and 109 “high in fibre”. In addition to a higher fibre content, products “high in fibre” showed higher protein and fat contents but lower carbohydrate, sugar and salt contents compared to both “source of fibre” and without fibre-related NC items. Overall, a high variability in nutritional values was also observed within products with the same type of fibre-related NC. In conclusion, the results suggested that fibre-related NCs should not be considered as a marker of a better nutritional composition of breakfast cereals, and thus consumers should be educated to carefully read the entire nutritional information reported in the food labelling.

scholarly journals Reference serving sizes for the Brazilian population: An analysis of processed food labels

2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 329-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie Kliemann ◽  
Marcela Boro Veiros ◽  
David Alejandro González-Chica ◽  
Rossana Pacheco da Costa Proença
Keyword(s):  
Energy Density ◽  
Inverse Correlation ◽  
Brazilian Population ◽  
Nutrition Labeling ◽  
Processed Food ◽  
Food Labels ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Spearman Coefficient ◽  
Serving Sizes ◽  
Serving Size

OBJECTIVE: To compare serving sizes reported on processed food labels with reference serving sizes according to nutrition labeling legislation and the "Food Guide for the Brazilian Population". METHODS: This cross-sectional study analyzed the labels of 2,072 processed foods in a supermarket of Florianópolis, Santa Caratina, Brazil. The foods were classified according to the Brazilian food labeling legislation. Central tendency and variability values were calculated for the serving sizes and energy values reported on the labels, as well as the ratio between the reported and reference energy value. The Spearman correlation test was performed between the reference serving size and the reference energy density, and also between the reference serving size and energy density of each study food. RESULTS: Nutrition labeling and the Food Guide presented reference servings with different sizes and energy values. The serving sizes reported on the labels did not follow either of the references and presented heterogeneous values, with a maximum range of 55-240 g among ready and semi-ready pre-prepared dishes. The reported energy values were between 0.1 times smaller and 2.4 times larger than the reference values. The reference serving sizes presented a highly inverse correlation with the reference energy density (Spearman coefficient= 0.9) and a very low inverse correlation with the energy density of the foods analyzed (Spearman coefficient= 0.2). CONCLUSION: This study showed the need for standardizing reference serving size information for the Brazilian population as well as reviewing nutrition labeling legislation in order to standardize the serving sizes reported on labels and to update the reference energy density used to calculate serving sizes.

Comprehension and Use of Nutrition Facts Tables among Adolescents and Young Adults in Canada

2016 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Hobin ◽  
Grace Shen-Tu ◽  
Jocelyn Sacco ◽  
Christine White ◽  
Carolyn Bowman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Young People ◽  
Adolescents And Young Adults ◽  
Nutrition Information ◽  
Thought Processes ◽  
Limited Evidence ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Size Information ◽  
Serving Sizes ◽  
Serving Size

Purpose: Limited evidence exists on the comprehension and use of Nutrition Facts tables (NFt) among adolescents and young adults. This study provides an account of how young people engage with, understand, and apply nutrition information on the current and modified versions of the NFt to compare and choose foods. Methods: Participants aged 16–24 years (n = 26) were asked to “think aloud” while viewing either the current or 1 of 5 modified NFts and completing a behavioural task. The task included a questionnaire with 9 functional items requiring participants to define, compare, interpret, and manipulate serving size and percentage daily value (%DV) information on NFts. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to further probe thought processes and difficulties experienced in completing the task. Results: Equal serving sizes on NFts improved ability to accurately compare nutrition information between products. Most participants could define %DV and believed it can be used to compare foods, yet some confusion persisted when interpreting %DVs and manipulating serving-size information on NFts. Where serving sizes were unequal, mathematical errors were often responsible for incorrect responses. Conclusions: Results reinforce the need for equal serving sizes on NFts of similar products and highlight young Canadians’ confusion when using nutrition information on NFts.

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