Abstract
Canadians’ food purchases consist largely of packaged processed and ultra-processed products, which typically fall outside the “core” foods recommended by Canada’s Food Guide (CFG). Almost half of packaged products in Canada carry nutrition marketing (i.e., nutrient content and health claims). This study assessed whether packaged foods carrying nutrition marketing align with recommendations outlined in the 2007 CFG. Label data (n = 9376) were extracted from the 2013 Food Label Information Program (FLIP). Label components (including nutrition marketing) were classified using the International Network for Food and Obesity/NCDs Research, Monitoring and Action Support (INFORMAS) labelling taxonomy. The Health Canada Surveillance Tool (HCST) was used to assess the alignment of products to CFG. Each food or beverage was classified into one of five groups (i.e., Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, Tier 4, “Others”). Products in Tier 1, 2 or water were considered “in line with CFG”. Most products in the analyzed sample were classified as Tier 2 (35%) and Tier 3 (27%). Although foods with nutrition marketing were significantly more likely to align to CFG recommendations (p < 0.001), many products not “in line with CFG” still carried nutrition marketing. This study provides important baseline data that could be used upon the implementation of the new CFG.
Highlights
The increase in obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is a concern and action needs to be taken to reduce this global health burden [1]
Food and beverage products that have been shown to be associated with increased risk of obesity and diet-related NCDs worldwide, and foods associated with healthier food patterns [3,36,45,46,47,48] (n = 9376) were included as part of this convenience sample of products selected from the 2013 Food Label Information Program (FLIP) [49]
Since the Nutrition Facts table and Ingredients List are mandatory components in mostly all foods in Canada, and the presence of those elements was required for products to be collected in FLIP, all food labels in this sample displayed such information
Summary
The increase in obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is a concern and action needs to be taken to reduce this global health burden [1]. More worrisome is the fact that diet-related mortality is increasing but appearing earlier in life, affecting both developed and developing countries [1,2,3]. Adherence to a healthy diet remains critical to prevent obesity and NCDs, as well as all forms of malnutrition [4]. Dietary guidelines aim to promote healthy diets and lifestyles through country-specific and science-based agricultural, food, health and nutrition recommendations [5]. Adherence to national dietary guidelines has been found to be associated with reductions in diet-related risk factors and obesity [8,9,10,11,12,13].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
