A study on the improved expression of nutrition information in prepackaged food nutrition labels

Abstract

Objective To explore the expression of nutrition information based on consumer cognitive psychology, and improve the applicability of pre-packaged food nutrition labels. Method Taking the “nutrition label” of a biscuit as an example: First, the energy (kilojoules) of the biscuit is converted into “food exchange serving”; Then, the energy supply ratio of three major calorigenic nutrients of various foods in the biscuit is calculated according to the “China Food Composition Table”, and the energy supply ratio of three major calorigenic nutrient in different food combinations is also calculated. Finally, we determined whether energy supply ratio of the three major calorigenic nutrients of the biscuit is similar to a mix of certain energy ratios of certain types of food. Thus, the new nutritional information expression of 'nutrition labels' was determined. The applicability and operability of balanced food practice was compared between the existing and improved nutrition information expression by the 'desktop deduction' method. Results The biscuit contains 1 823 kJ of energy per 100 g, which is about 5 “food exchange servings”. The average energy supply ratio of protein, fat, and carbohydrate of all kinds of food are as follows: The cereals were 15%, 5% and 80% respectively; the meats were 55%, 39% and 10% respectively; the vegetables were 27%, 9% and 58% respectively; and the fruits were 5%, 3% and 91%, respectively. If different types of food are mixed according to their energy ratio, then the energy supply ratio of the three energy producing nutrients is different. The energy ratio of the three energy producing nutrients of the prepackaged food will always be similar to that of the mixture of some kinds of food. The biscuit is similar to 1∶4 energy mixed with oil foods and cereals, which translates to about 10 g of oils and 100 g of grains, based on the 'food exchange serving'. Hence, if you eat 100 g of these cookies, subtract about 10 g of fat and 100 g of cereal from your three meals per day. Conclusion The nutritional ingredient list of 'prepackaged food nutrition label' should increase the expression of 'food exchange' and food category and energy proportion, so as to facilitate the practice of balanced diet by consumers. Key words: Food labeling; Diet; Research