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Introduction: The monitoring of nutrition and health claims on food and beverage labels has been proposed by international and national organizations because it can collaborate with the development of public policies to regulate food labeling and marketing strategies. One way of carrying out this monitoring is by using data collected by private companies. Objective: To compare information on nutrition and health claims available in a commercial database of a private company that monitors the launch of new foods and beverages in Brazilian food retailers with information on those same claims manually coded by trained research assistants. Methods: This is a cross-sectional observational study using a data sample of newly launched food and beverages available at a commercial database from 2018 to 2021. We compared the information on health and nutrition claims available on the commercial dataset with reliable information on the same nutrition and health claims manually coded by trained research assistants using a tested taxonomy to classify such claims. We used Gwet's Kappa AC1 with 95% CI and percentage agreement to compare both data sources and calculated sensitivity and specificity of the compared data. Results: A total of 6,722 foods and beverages were analyzed. Mintel-GNPD presented 36.28% (n = 2,439) of nutrition claims, while in the trained researchers' coding, it was 33.73% (n = 2,267). We found a prevalence of 5.4% (n = 362) for health claims in Mintel-GNPD and 10.8% (n = 723) in the researchers' coding. All subcategories of nutrition and health claims showed high agreement (Kappa >0.81). Health claims presented kappa = 0.89 with 33.7% sensitivity and 98.0% specificity while nutrition claims showed kappa = 0.86 with 92.9% sensitivity and 92.5% specificity. Conclusion: Nutrition and health claims showed high agreement, with great results in nutrition claims, indicating that Mintel-GPND is suitable for monitoring such claims on food and beverage packaging in Brazil. Additionally, our findings show a high prevalence of nutrition and health claims on food packages launched in the Brazilian food retail, highlighting the need to monitor these to develop public policies to regulate food marketing on packaging in Brazil.
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This study employs a multidisciplinary approach to evaluate consumers' perceptions and acceptance of Moringa oleifera Lam. beverages, examining sensory attributes, chemical composition, and bioactivities. High-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection (HPLC-DAD) analyses revealed significant chemovariation in phenolic compositions among commercial moringa beverages. A soluble moringa powder drink exhibited the greatest concentrations of phenolic and flavonoid compounds, along with powerful antioxidant capacity powers assessed with ABTSâ¢+, DPPHâ¢, FRAP assays, â¢NO, and H2O2 scavenging activities. However, this sample was the least preferred and presented high Cd levels, exceeding WHO-acceptable values of 0.3 mg/kg. Sensory testing indicated that sweet and floral flavors contributed to beverages being liked, while green, grass, herbal flavors, sour, bitter, and precipitate presence were considered unfavorable sensory attributes. Health claims positively influenced acceptance, particularly among women. Consumers associated feelings of health, wellness, relaxation, and leisure with moringa beverages. During purchase, the most observed information included the ingredient list, health benefits, and type/flavor. These findings emphasize the importance of consumer awareness in reading labels, verifying product origins, and ensuring the absence of contaminants. By understanding consumer preferences and the impact of health claims, producers can better tailor M. oleifera beverages to meet consumer expectations while maintaining safety and quality standards.
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The information included on food packages has a crucial role in influencing consumer product associations and purchase decisions. In particular, visual and textual cues on processed and ultra-processed products can convey health-related associations that influence consumer healthiness perception and purchase decisions. In this context, the present work aimed to explore the use of health-related cues on the packages of processed and ultra-processed products sold in Uruguay to provide insights for policy making. A total of 3813 products from thirty-four different food categories found in four of the most important supermarket chains in Uruguay were surveyed. The textual and visual information included on the packages as well as the nutritional composition of the products were analysed. Results showed that 67 % of the products included at least one health-related cue. Pictures of culinary ingredients, natural and minimally processed foods were the most frequent health-related cue, followed by references to naturalness and claims related to critical nutrients. The prevalence of health-related cues largely differed across product categories, ranging from 100 to 17 %. The relationship between the presence of health-related cues on the packages and the excessive content of nutrients associated with non-communicable diseases was assessed using a gradient boosting model, which showed limited predictive ability. This suggests that the inclusion of health-related cues on food packages was not strongly related to the nutritional composition of products and therefore cannot be regarded as a healthiness indicator. These results stress the need to develop stricter labelling regulations to protect consumers from misleading information.
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Sinais (Psicologia) , Embalagem de Alimentos , Prevalência , Rotulagem de Alimentos , Alimentos , Valor Nutritivo , Fast FoodsRESUMO
In June 2019, mandatory front-of-package warning labels (FOPL) were implemented in Peru. The aim of the study was to describe changes in marketing strategies on packaging: marketing techniques (MT), health claims (HC), and nutritional claims (NC) on the packaging of products frequently consumed by children before and after the FOPL implementation. Product photos were taken pre- (March 2019) and post-implementation (March-October 2020) in three supermarkets in Lima, Peru. Following INFORMAS protocols and Peruvian Technical Norms, the presence of MT, HC, and NC was assessed on all package sides. Products were classified as "high-in" and "not high-in" based on the regulation threshold for critical nutrients. Differences in the proportion of products with each strategy in both periods were evaluated. Also, a subsample of products was matched according to the barcode and exact McNemar test was used to compare proportions of strategies pre/post-implementation. We included 883 and 1,035 products in pre- and post-implementation, respectively. In both periods, MT appeared on almost 70% of all products. The presence of HC increased significantly only for beverages (24.5-38.1%, p < 0.001). In both phases, NC were commonly used on beverages (>80%). Overall, the prevalence of "high-in" products using MT increased (73.6-82.1%, p = 0.007), while use of HC increased among "not high-in" products (32.9-41.6%, p < 0.001). There is a high frequency of MT on all products and NC on beverages. The increase in MT in "high-in" products may be an industry response to minimize the impact of the FOPL on food choices and sales. New regulatory aspects regarding labeling should be implemented to strengthen the current policy.
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Providing information about the sugar content of packaged foods on product labels is an important strategy to lower consumers' sugar intake. This study assessed the effect of exposure to different sugar labels on consumers' understanding of the sugar content of foods and their food choices. In the first phase, five focus groups were conducted with a convenience sample of Brazilian adults to explore their perceptions about food labelling in general and sugar labelling in particular. Based on the qualitative results, four sugar label formats were developed and subsequently tested in a five-arm study on 1,277 adults via a randomised controlled online survey. The formats were: (i) no sugar information-control, (ii) total and added sugar content displayed in the Nutrition Information Panel (NIP), (iii) a front-of-package (FoP) octagonal warning for "high-in-sugar" products, (iv) a FoP magnifying glass warning for "high-in-sugar" products, and (v) a "high-in-sugar" warning text embedded on the NIP. Participants from the focus groups reported being confused about the meaning of "sugar" and "added sugar" on food labels and indicated that more interpretive labels, such as the FoP warnings, would help them choose products with low sugar content. In the experiment, all intervention sugar label formats improved participants' understanding of the sugar content of the tested food products, with the FoP warnings (iii and iv) showing the best results. While non-significant differences among label conditions were observed for food choices, the FoP octagonal warning prompted participants to choose high-in-sugar products less often. Given current public policy agendas aiming to reduce added sugar intake, there is a need to strengthen food labelling policies and nutrition disclosure policies that target the display of added sugar and build consumer awareness in using these tools to avoid high-in-sugar products.
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BACKGROUND: The use of health and nutrition claims on front-of-pack labels may impact consumers' food choices; therefore, many countries have established regulations to avoid misinformation. This study describes the prevalence of health and nutrition claims on the front-of-pack of food products in retail stores in Mexico and estimate the potential effects of the Official Mexican Standards 051 (new regulation that includes specifications for implementing warning labels and other packaging elements such as health and nutrition claims on less healthy foods) on the prevalence of these claims. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study in which health and nutrition claims, nutrition information panels, and the list of ingredients of all foods and beverages available in the main retail stores in Mexico City were collected. The products were grouped by level of processing according to the NOVA food system classification. Claims were classified using the internationally harmonized INFORMAS taxonomy. According to the criteria of the new Mexican front-of-pack labelling regulation, the effect on the reduction on the prevalence of health and nutrition claims was estimated by type of food and by energy and nutrients of concern thresholds. RESULTS: Of 17,264 products, 33.8% displayed nutrition claims and 3.4% health claims. In total, 80.8% of all products in the Mexican market were classified as "less healthy"; 48.2% of products had excess calories, 44.6% had excess sodium, and 40.7% excess free sugars. The new regulation would prevent 39.4% of products with claims from displaying health and nutrition claims (P < 0.001); the largest reduction is observed for ultra-processed foods (51.1%, P < 0.001). The regulation thresholds that resulted in the largest reduction of claims were calories (OR 0.62, P < 0.001) and non-sugar sweeteners (OR 0.54, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The new Mexican front-of-pack labelling regulation will prevent most processed and ultra-processed foods from displaying health and nutrition claims and will potentially improve information on packaging for consumers.
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Fast Foods , Rotulagem de Alimentos , Embalagem de Alimentos , Valor Nutritivo , Estudos Transversais , Análise de Alimentos , Rotulagem de Alimentos/legislação & jurisprudência , Embalagem de Alimentos/legislação & jurisprudência , Promoção da Saúde , Humanos , Legislação como Assunto , MéxicoRESUMO
Chile recently implemented a food labeling law that requires packaged foods with sugar, saturated fats, sodium, and/or calorie content that exceeds government-defined thresholds to carry a front-of-package warning for each excessive nutrient. This law does not prohibit the use of nutrient content (NC) marketing claims on packages, as long as the claims do not directly contradict the warnings. Yet, having NC claims alongside nutrient warnings might send mixed messages confusing consumers about the overall healthiness of a product. The present study tests the co-occurrence of warning labels and NC claims in breakfast cereal packages on product perceptions and behavioral intentions of Chilean adults in a 3 (warnings: none, high calorie, high calorie/high sugar) × 3 (NC claims: none, fiber/wholegrain, low fat/cholesterol-free) mixed-measures experiment. Fiber-related claims had a main effect leading to more positive ratings of the product, compared to having no NC claims or fat-related claims. These positive ratings extended beyond perceptions of the fiber content to perceptions of overall healthiness, naturalness, quality, vitamin content, and intentions to purchase and recommend the product-a health halo effect. No significant interaction between warnings and NC claims was found. However, warnings had a main effect on perceptions irrespective of the presence of NC claims, with one warning significantly reducing ratings, dampening any halo effects, and two warnings further dampening any effects. These findings indicate that warning labels can mitigate, but not eliminate the influences of NC claims on consumer perceptions of product healthiness.
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Desjejum , Grão Comestível , Adulto , Chile , Modificador do Efeito Epidemiológico , Rotulagem de Alimentos , Humanos , Nutrientes , Valor NutritivoRESUMO
The health and wellness food sector grew 98% from 2009 to 2014 in Brazil, the world's fourth-biggest market. The trend has reached supermarket circulars, which recently started to feature whole sections advertising health and wellness-enhancing foods. This study identified food items advertised in circulars' specific sections of two Brazilian supermarket chains (one regional, one national) during a 10-week period. Foods were classified according to degree of food processing and presence/type of claims on their front-of-pack (FoP) labels. Comparison between groups of Unprocessed/Minimally Processed foods vs. Ultra-processed foods and presence/type of claims employed Pearson chi-square test. From the 434 alleged health and wellness-enhancing foods advertised, around half (51.4%) were classified as Ultra-processed. Presence of reduced and increased nutrient-content claims was significantly higher in labels of Ultra-processed foods. Most frequent claims addressed sugar and fibre content. Brazilian supermarket circulars were found to be promoting the sale of Ultra-processed foods in their health and wellness sections, leading to a situation that can mislead the consumer and bring negative health outcomes.
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Publicidade , Manipulação de Alimentos , Alimentos/classificação , Valor Nutritivo , Supermercados , Estudos Transversais , HumanosRESUMO
The industry uses nutrition and health claims, premium offers, and promotional characters as marketing strategies (MS). The inclusion of these MS on ultra-processed products may influence child and adolescent purchase behavior. This study determined the proportion of foods carrying claims and marketing strategies, also the proportion of products with critical nutrients declaration, and nutritional profile differences between products that carry or not claims and MS on the front-of-package (FoP) of ultra-processed food products sold in Costa Rica. Data were obtained from 2423 photographs of seven food groups consumed as snacks that were sold in one of the most widespread and popular hypermarket chains in Costa Rica in 2015. Ten percent of products lacked a nutrition facts panel. Sodium was the least reported critical nutrient. Energy and critical nutrients were significantly highest in products that did not include any nutrition or health claim and in products that included at least one MS. Forty-four percent and 10% of all products displayed at least one nutrition or at least one health claim, respectively, and 23% displayed at least one MS. In conclusion, regulations are needed to restrict claims and marketing on ultra-processed food packages to generate healthier food environments and contribute to the prevention of childhood and adolescent obesity in Costa Rica.
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Publicidade Direta ao Consumidor , Manipulação de Alimentos , Rotulagem de Alimentos , Valor Nutritivo , Lanches , Comércio , Costa Rica , Estudos Transversais , Publicidade Direta ao Consumidor/legislação & jurisprudência , Ingestão de Energia , Manipulação de Alimentos/legislação & jurisprudência , Rotulagem de Alimentos/legislação & jurisprudência , Regulamentação Governamental , Humanos , Formulação de Políticas , Recomendações NutricionaisRESUMO
The population is now living longer during the period classified as "elderly" (60 years and older), exhibiting multimorbidity associated to the lengthening of the average life span. The dietary intake of phenolic compounds (PC) may affect the physiology, disease development and progression during the aging process, reducing risk factors of age related diseases. The aim of this review is to briefly describe some of the possible effects of a series of PC on the reduction of risk factors of the onset of cardiovascular diseases, considering their potential mechanisms of action. The main actions described for PC are associated with reduced platelet activity, anti-inflammatory effects, and the protection from oxidation to reduce LDL and the generation of advanced glycation end products. Preclinical and clinical evidence of the physiological effects of various PC is presented, as well as the health claims approved by regulatory agencies.
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Doenças Cardiovasculares/prevenção & controle , Fenóis/farmacologia , Envelhecimento/efeitos dos fármacos , Envelhecimento/metabolismo , Animais , Anti-Inflamatórios/química , Anti-Inflamatórios/farmacologia , Antioxidantes/química , Antioxidantes/farmacologia , Disponibilidade Biológica , Doenças Cardiovasculares/etiologia , Doenças Cardiovasculares/metabolismo , Suplementos Nutricionais , Microbioma Gastrointestinal/efeitos dos fármacos , Humanos , Benefícios do Seguro , Fenóis/química , Inibidores da Agregação Plaquetária/química , Inibidores da Agregação Plaquetária/farmacologia , Fatores de RiscoRESUMO
Concerns for health can lead to healthier food choices, especially if the consumer is well informed. This study aimed to evaluate the importance of package and health-related claims on Brazilian consumers' acceptance of snack bars. In order to evaluate package attributes, in focus groups discussions, 19 consumers chose the most important factors that influence their purchase decisions. Next, 102 consumers evaluated six commercial brands of snack bars in a three-session acceptance test: the first with no information about the product, the second containing the product package and the third with information on health-related claims associated with consumption of the bar. In general, package attributes, price and flavor were the most important factors that influence the purchase of snack bars. Health claims positively influenced consumer acceptance, but information concerning the absence of gluten and lactose did not significantly alter sensory acceptance. The presence of omega-3s, sugars, preservatives, flavorings and colorings have the potential to improve acceptability, because they were able to raise the acceptance of the seed bar, removing it from the rejection region. Protein and nut bars are not well known to the general public and the lower mean acceptance of the seed and protein bars demonstrated the need for sensorial improvement.
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Comportamento do Consumidor , Preferências Alimentares/psicologia , Percepção , Lanches/psicologia , Adolescente , Adulto , Brasil , Comportamento de Escolha , Comércio , Comportamento do Consumidor/economia , Feminino , Aromatizantes , Grupos Focais , Rotulagem de Alimentos , Embalagem de Alimentos , Alimentos Fortificados , Glutens , Humanos , Lactose , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Nozes , Proteínas , Açúcares , Paladar , Adulto JovemRESUMO
Previous research has shown that consumers' sensory and hedonic perceptions could be greatly influenced by the messages highlighted on the front of the packaging, particularly nutrition and health claims for reduced-calorie or functional foods. In food products designed for hunger control, mentioning satiating effects or meal replacement could potentially influence the expected satiety or other perceptions, including those associated with a filling effect. This study investigated the effect of packaging information on consumer perceptions of eleven commercial chocolate-flavoured satiating and meal replacement bars. Projective mapping (Napping®) with a descriptive step was used to profile the expectations elicited by the eleven bars, based on their extrinsic characteristics (without tasting them), with two different groups of consumers in two different scenarios: mapping the samples' packaging and mapping cards with an identical design showing the most important information displayed on the packaging (product name, nutrition information panel and nutrition and health messages or claims). The terms and comments obtained in the two scenarios were analysed and perceptual spaces were generated from the sample location and attributes obtained in the Napping® exercises, using multi factor analysis (MFA). The results showed that when evaluating the real packaging, the consumers mainly focused on the meal replacement- or satiation-related messages and on the images to build up their perception, attaching less or no importance to the nutritional information that was also displayed on the box. When examining the packaging, sensory expectations - which probably emerged from the images of the bars - were also a very important factor in placing the samples in the perceptual space. When looking only at the cards, the consumers' grouping and attribute generation focused in great detail on the nutritional information. The calorie content also became a much more important factor in their perceptions of the bars. Interestingly for the product category analysed, messages about "satiating" and "meal replacement" effects were clearly distinct and negatively correlated in the consumers' minds.
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El reglamento de etiquetado nutricional para alimentos preenvasados de Costa Rica basado en la normativa del Codex Alimentarius entró en vigencia en el 2002. En este mismo año, se realizó una investigación con el propósito de describir la situación basal del etiquetado nutricional en estos alimentos. En un supermercado representativo del área metropolitana de Costa Rica se recolectó la información declarada en las etiquetas de todos los alimentos preenvasados, excepto de las bebidas alcohólicas. Se analizaron seis variables mediante el programa SPSS. Se revisaron 2.910 etiquetas de alimentos clasificados en 19 categorías. El 58,4% (n=1698) incluyó información nutricional, dato que varió según país de origen y categoría del alimento. De las etiquetas con información nutricional, 68,1% declararon el contenido nutricional, 1,2% descriptores nutricionales y 27,4% ambos. En el 95% del etiquetado nutricional se declaró el contenido de energía y macronutrientes. Se identificaron al menos 100 descriptores nutricionales y saludables diferentes, con mayor frecuencia se empleó el de contenido (74,7%), seguido por el de adición (16,9%). Los componentes referidos con mayor frecuencia fueron vitaminas y minerales, vitaminas, carbohidratos, grasa total, colesterol y energía; y los grupos de alimentos que los declararon fueron: cereales y derivados, alimentos infantiles, leches, bebidas, alimentos para regímenes especiales y sustitutos. En una misma etiqueta fueron declarados entre uno y cinco descriptores. En una década en Costa Rica se triplicó la proporción de alimentos preenvasados con etiquetado nutricional, por lo se concluye que la tendencia de su declaración es ascendente, sostenida y representa una herramienta accesible para la promoción de la salud en la población, siempre y cuando la información sea confiable y segura.
The nutritional labeling regulations for prepackaged foods based on the Codex Alimentarius legislation enacted in 2002 in Costa Rica. In the same year, a research was conducted in order to describe the baseline of nutritional labeling. The declared information on the labels of all prepackaged foods was collected, except for alcoholic beverages. Six variables were analyzed using SPSS. 2,910 labels of foods were reviewed and classified in 19 food categories. 58.4% (n= 1698) included nutritional information, proportion that varied by country of origin and food category. Of the labels that included nutritional information, 68.1% had nutritional panel, 1.2% nutrient claims and 27.4%, both. 95% of the nutritional components declared on the labels included energy and macronutrients data. At least 100 different nutritional and health claims were identified. Most frequently used claims were content (74.7%), followed by addition (16.9%). The components most frequently mentioned were vitamins and minerals, vitamins (alone), carbohydrates, total fat, cholesterol and energy. Food groups who reported these descriptors were: cereals and by products, baby foods, milks, beverages, foods for special dietary uses and substitutes. One to five descriptors were used in a label. In a decade the proportion of prepackaged foods with nutritional labeling tripled in the metropolitan area of Costa Rica. It is concluded that the tendency of nutrition information declaration is up, sustained and represents an accessible tool for health promotion, if the information provided is reliable and secure.
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Humanos , Análise de Alimentos , Rotulagem de Alimentos/normas , Valor Nutritivo , Qualidade de Produtos para o Consumidor , Costa RicaRESUMO
O trabalho estabelece a relação entre as diretrizes das políticas públicas de saúde brasileiras e os critérios adotados pela Anvisa para aprovação das alegações de propriedades funcionais e, ou, de saúde para alimentos e para substâncias bioativas e probióticos isolados. Comenta a legislação brasileira sobre alimentos com alegações de propriedades funcionais e, ou, de saúde, novos alimentos e substâncias bioativas e probióticos isolados, evidenciando a obrigatoriedade de registro destes produtos junto aos órgãos competentes. Apresenta as diretrizes da Política Nacional de Alimentação e Nutrição, Política Nacional de Promoção da Saúde, Guia Alimentar para a População Brasileira e Estratégia Global sobre Dieta, Atividade Física e Saúde da Organização Mundial de Saúde. Ressalta a convergência das diretrizes destas políticas que objetivam a redução das doenças crônicas não-transmissíveis na população através da promoção da alimentação saudável e da atividade física. Destaca as orientações direcionadas aos governos e à indústria para a implementação dessas medidas. Apresenta critérios de avaliação da base científica das alegações propostos por órgãos internacionais. Objetiva oferecer subsídios para o entendimento da influência da tecnologia de alimentos sobre a saúde pública e para o entendimento dos critérios adotados pela Anvisa, na avaliação das alegações de propriedades funcionais e de saúde.
This article establishes the relationship between public health policies in Brazil and the criteria adopted by Anvisa for the approval of functional property claims and, or, of health for food and for bioactive substances and isolated products. It also comments on Brazilian Legislation about functional property claimed food and, or, on healthy claimed food, new foods, bioactive substances and isolated probiotics, emphasizing the obligation to registering such products before the competent agencies. It presents the National Feeding and Nutrition Policies directives, National Policy for Health Promotion, Feeding Guide for the Brazilian Population and Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health under the scope of World Health Organization. It enhances the convergence of directives of these policies that focus on the reduction of non-transmissible chronic diseases in the public by means of healthy feeding and physical activity. It highlights the orientations directed to governments and to the industry so as to implement these procedures. Through the presentation of evaluation criteria for the scientific basis of the claims, proposed by international agencies, it aims at offering subsidies for the understanding of the food technology over public health, and for the understanding of the criteria adopted by Anvisa for the evaluation of functional property claims and health.