Added sugar in the packaged foods and beverages available at a major Canadian retailer in 2015: a descriptive analysis.

<div><strong>Objectives:</strong> Traditional methods for creating food composition databases struggle to cope with the large number of products and the rapid pace of turnover in the food supply. This paper introduces Food Label Information Program (FLIP), a big data approach to the evaluation of the Canadian food supply and presents the latest methods used in the development of this database.</div> <div><strong>Methods:</strong> The Food Label Information Program (FLIP) is a database of Canadian food and beverage package labels by brand name. The latest iteration of the FLIP, FLIP 2020, was developed using website "scraping" to collect food labeling information (e.g., nutritional composition, price, product images, ingredients, brand, etc.) on all foods and beverages available on seven major Canadian e-grocery retailer websites between May 2020 and February 2021.</div> <div><strong>Results:</strong> The University of Toronto's Food Label Information Program (FLIP) 2020 was developed in three phases: Phase 1, database development and enhancements; Phase 2, data capture and management of food products and nutrition information; Phase 3, data processing and food categorizing. A total of 74,445 products available on websites of seven retailers and 2 location-specific duplicate retailers were collected for FLIP 2020. Of 57,006 food and beverage products available on seven retailers, nutritional composition data were available for about 60% of the products and ingredients were available for about 45%. Data for energy, protein, carbohydrate, fat, sugar, sodium and saturated fat were present for 54-65% of the products, while fiber information was available for 37%. Food products were classified under multiple categorization systems, including Health Canada's Table of Reference Amounts, Health Canada's sodium categories for guiding benchmark sodium levels, sugar-focused categories and categories specific to various global nutrient profiling models.</div> <div><strong>Conclusions:</strong> FLIP is a powerful tool for evaluating and monitoring the Canadian food supply environment. The comprehensive sampling and granularity of collection provides power for revealing analyses of the relationship between nutritional quality and marketing of branded foods, timely observation of product reformulation and other changes to the Canadian food supply.</div>

<div><strong>Objectives:</strong> Traditional methods for creating food composition databases struggle to cope with the large number of products and the rapid pace of turnover in the food supply. This paper introduces Food Label Information Program (FLIP), a big data approach to the evaluation of the Canadian food supply and presents the latest methods used in the development of this database.</div> <div><strong>Methods:</strong> The Food Label Information Program (FLIP) is a database of Canadian food and beverage package labels by brand name. The latest iteration of the FLIP, FLIP 2020, was developed using website "scraping" to collect food labeling information (e.g., nutritional composition, price, product images, ingredients, brand, etc.) on all foods and beverages available on seven major Canadian e-grocery retailer websites between May 2020 and February 2021.</div> <div><strong>Results:</strong> The University of Toronto's Food Label Information Program (FLIP) 2020 was developed in three phases: Phase 1, database development and enhancements; Phase 2, data capture and management of food products and nutrition information; Phase 3, data processing and food categorizing. A total of 74,445 products available on websites of seven retailers and 2 location-specific duplicate retailers were collected for FLIP 2020. Of 57,006 food and beverage products available on seven retailers, nutritional composition data were available for about 60% of the products and ingredients were available for about 45%. Data for energy, protein, carbohydrate, fat, sugar, sodium and saturated fat were present for 54-65% of the products, while fiber information was available for 37%. Food products were classified under multiple categorization systems, including Health Canada's Table of Reference Amounts, Health Canada's sodium categories for guiding benchmark sodium levels, sugar-focused categories and categories specific to various global nutrient profiling models.</div> <div><strong>Conclusions:</strong> FLIP is a powerful tool for evaluating and monitoring the Canadian food supply environment. The comprehensive sampling and granularity of collection provides power for revealing analyses of the relationship between nutritional quality and marketing of branded foods, timely observation of product reformulation and other changes to the Canadian food supply.</div>

ObjectivesTraditional methods for creating food composition databases struggle to cope with the large number of products and the rapid pace of turnover in the food supply. This paper introduces Food Label Information Program (FLIP), a big data approach to the evaluation of the Canadian food supply and presents the latest methods used in the development of this database.MethodsThe Food Label Information Program (FLIP) is a database of Canadian food and beverage package labels by brand name. The latest iteration of the FLIP, FLIP 2020, was developed using website “scraping” to collect food labeling information (e.g., nutritional composition, price, product images, ingredients, brand, etc.) on all foods and beverages available on seven major Canadian e-grocery retailer websites between May 2020 and February 2021.ResultsThe University of Toronto's Food Label Information Program (FLIP) 2020 was developed in three phases: Phase 1, database development and enhancements; Phase 2, data capture and management of food products and nutrition information; Phase 3, data processing and food categorizing. A total of 74,445 products available on websites of seven retailers and 2 location-specific duplicate retailers were collected for FLIP 2020. Of 57,006 food and beverage products available on seven retailers, nutritional composition data were available for about 60% of the products and ingredients were available for about 45%. Data for energy, protein, carbohydrate, fat, sugar, sodium and saturated fat were present for 54–65% of the products, while fiber information was available for 37%. Food products were classified under multiple categorization systems, including Health Canada's Table of Reference Amounts, Health Canada's sodium categories for guiding benchmark sodium levels, sugar-focused categories and categories specific to various global nutrient profiling models.ConclusionsFLIP is a powerful tool for evaluating and monitoring the Canadian food supply environment. The comprehensive sampling and granularity of collection provides power for revealing analyses of the relationship between nutritional quality and marketing of branded foods, timely observation of product reformulation and other changes to the Canadian food supply.

Automation of the Updated Food Label Information Program (FLIP 2020): A Comprehensive Canadian Branded Grocery and Restaurant Food Composition Database

Risks associated with foods having advisory milk labeling

The US food supply is dominated by highly-processed packaged food and beverage products that are high in energy, saturated fat, sugar, and salt. We report results of a cross-sectional assessment of the 2018 US packaged food and beverage supply by nutritional composition and indicators of healthfulness and level of processing. Data were obtained through Label Insight’s Open Data database, which represents >80% of all food and beverage products sold in the US over the past three years. Healthfulness and the level of processing, measured by the Health Star Rating (HSR) system and the NOVA classification framework, respectively, were compared across product categories and leading manufacturers. Among 230,156 food and beverage products, the mean HSR was 2.7 (standard deviation (SD) 1.4) from a possible maximum rating of 5.0, and 71% of products were classified as ultra-processed. Healthfulness and level of processing varied substantially by category (range: HSR 1.1–3.9; 0–100% ultra-processed) and manufacturer (range: HSR 0.9–4.6; 26–100% ultra-processed). The US packaged food and beverage supply is large, heterogeneous, highly processed, and generally unhealthy. The wide variability in healthfulness and level of processing demonstrates that opportunities exist, through reformulation or replacement, for large-scale improvements to the healthfulness of the US packaged food and beverage supply.

Chapter 8 - Innovations in analytical methods for food authenticity

The association between the degree of processing and healthfulness of foods remains unclear. Most evidence of this relationship is based on dietary intake surveys rather than individual products and varies depending on the food processing classification system used. This study aimed to compare the nutritional quality of more- versus less-processed packaged foods and beverages in Canada, using a large, branded food database and two processing classification systems. Nutritional information for products (n = 17,269) was sourced from the University of Toronto FLIP 2017 database. Products were categorized using the NOVA and Poti et al. processing classification systems. Calories, sodium, saturated fat, total and free sugars, fibre and protein per 100 g (or mL) were examined by processing category using descriptive statistics and linear regression. Overall, the most-processed products under both systems were more likely to be lower in protein, and higher in total and free sugars, compared with less-processed foods (p < 0.05); the direction and strength of the association between other nutrients/components and level of processing were less consistent. These findings demonstrate that calorie- and nutrient-dense foods exist across different levels of processing, suggesting that food choices and dietary recommendations should be based primarily on energy or nutrient density rather than processing classification.

Awareness is a prerequisite in the development of successful brands; in this paper are highlighted, for certain categories of common food products, brands enjoying the highest spontaneous awareness among young people. On the basis of this work are some of the results of a direct research conducted on a sample of 100 students, aged between 18 and 30 years. Common foods are intended for current consumption, serving to meet the dietary needs of consumers. Thus, we studied certain categories of food products with characteristics which make them fall within the common products category: milk and dairy products, meat and cooked meat (except fish), fish and eggs, canned meat (including pate), canned vegetables, bakery, milling products, pasta, breakfast cereals, sugar, eggs, nuts and seeds, oil, margarine. The conducted research has an exploratory character.

This chapter explores the management of consumer goods product categories, with a special focus on food categories and on the coexistence of private label and manufacturer brands. The chapter covers category management, which is the management context in which private label and manufacturer brands coexist. The historical contexts of category management and private label are investigated, as are brand and category management organisational arrangements, culminating in an examination of key points from the literature on the management of food and grocery product categories. In addition, it is established that power relationships between private label and manufacturer brands in food product categories in an environment of high retail consolidation and concentration need to be better understood.

Including “Added Sugars” on the Nutrition Facts Panel: How Consumers Perceive the Proposed Change

Halal labeling for every food product is very necessary for the realization of peace of mind of the community, especially Muslims in choosing the desired food and beverage products. The problem in this thesis is how is the legal position of halal certificates on food and beverage products according to Indonesian law, what is the role of the Indonesian Ulema Council of Medan City in granting halal certificates and labels to food and beverage products, what are the obstacles and efforts in granting halal certificates to food and beverage products at the Food, Drug and Cosmetics Assessment Institute (LPPOM) of the Indonesian Ulema Council Medan. In writing this thesis, the author uses the library research method to examine secondary data and field research, namely by conducting research with the authorities at the Medan MUI. Halal certification is only valid for 2 (two) years since the certificate was issued, and must be re-certified. The role of the Indonesian Ulema Council in providing halal certificates and labels on food products is to determine a fatwa on the halalness of food, drug and cosmetic products carried out by the Fatwa Commission after an audit by LP POM MUI and reporting to the Fatwa Commission.

Halal labeling for every food product is very necessary for the realization of peace of mind of the community, especially Muslims in choosing the desired food and beverage products. The problem in this thesis is how is the legal position of halal certificates on food and beverage products according to Indonesian law, what is the role of the Indonesian Ulema Council of Medan City in granting halal certificates and labels to food and beverage products, what are the obstacles and efforts in granting halal certificates to food and beverage products at the Food, Drug and Cosmetics Assessment Institute (LPPOM) of the Indonesian Ulema Council Medan. In writing this thesis, the author uses the library research method to examine secondary data and field research, namely by conducting research with the authorities at the Medan MUI. Halal certification is only valid for 2 (two) years since the certificate was issued, and must be re-certified. The role of the Indonesian Ulema Council in providing halal certificates and labels on food products is to determine a fatwa on the halalness of food, drug and cosmetic products carried out by the Fatwa Commission after an audit by LP POM MUI and reporting to the Fatwa Commission.

Probiotic food products contain a variety of different bacterial strains and may offer different health effects. The objective was to document the prevalence and dosage of probiotic strains in the Canadian food supply and to review the literature investigating these strains in order to understand what health benefits these products may offer. The Food Label Information Program was used to identify probiotic-containing products in the food supply. PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase were searched for randomized controlled trials that tested the health effects of these strains in humans. There were six probiotic strains/strain combinations identified in the food supply. Thirty-one studies investigated these strains and found that they are associated with decreased diarrhea and constipation, improved digestive symptoms, glycemic control, antioxidant status, blood lipids, oral health, and infant breastfeeding outcomes, as well as enhanced immunity and support for Helicobacter pylori eradication. There were a limited number of studies investigating these strains. Many studies were funded by the food industry and tested dosages that were up to twenty-five times the dosage found in most food products. Probiotic food products could have health benefits not currently reported on their labels. However, many dosages are too low to provide the benefits demonstrated in clinical trials. Further research is needed to enable more effective use of these functional foods.

Consumer demand for high quality food products has driven the packaging industry to look for new solutions to enhance food safety. In packaged food products, seal integrity is essential to the physical, chemical and biological quality of the packaged product as seal integrity failure will not only compromise product safety and containment, but also significantly reduce shelf-life. Intelligent packaging integrated with O2 sensors are capable of monitoring packaging process efficiency, integrity and improving food safety by facilitating enhanced surveillance of packaged food products throughout the food supply chain, whilst being contactless and non-destructive, economical, fast, reliable and versatile over a wide range of environmental and processing conditions. Numerous commercial technologies now exist to both control O2 within product packages and monitor O2 levels within food and beverage packs. Although there are many O2 sensing dyes and materials reported in the scientific literature, only a limited number have been used in food packaging applications. This chapter will summarise the applications of different phosphorescent O2 sensors used to non-destructively monitor O2 in packaged food and beverage products.