Abstract
BackgroundBreakfast cereals exhibit a wide variability in nutritional quality, and differences are not easily grasped by consumers. A simplified nutritional information system might contribute to help consumers make healthier food choices. A five-category colour label based on the Food Standards Agency Nutrient profiling system (FSA score) has been proposed in France to be implemented on the front-of-pack of foods (the five-colour nutrition label - 5-CNL). Objectives were to evaluate the ability of the 5-CNL to discriminate nutritional quality between types of breakfast cereals, within a category and in equivalent products, as well as its ability to change through product reformulation.MethodsNutritional information was collected through an Internet and supermarket research for N = 433 breakfast cereals (N = 380 complete data included in the analyses). Breakfast cereals were categorized according to common attributes in terms of processing and/or ingredients used. The FSA score and 5-CNL category allocation were computed for each cereal. Nutrient content and FSA score were compared across types of cereals. Distribution within the 5-CNL categories was assessed across types of cereals and for equivalent products. Impact of reformulation (reduction of 5 and 10% in simple sugar, saturated fat and sodium) on the 5-CNL category allocation was compared to original allocation with Bapkhar’s tests of homogeneity of marginal distribution.ResultsVariability in nutritional quality of breakfast cereals was high, as reflected by the FSA score (range −7- 22 for a theoretical range of −15-40) and the 5-CNL (all five categories represented). The 5-CNL allowed for discrimination across types of cereals, within categories of breakfast cereals and for equivalent products (at least 3 categories of the 5-CNL represented). Reformulation scenarios allowed for significant change in 5-CNL allocation: 5% reduction in sugar lead to a modification of the label for 4.21% of products while a reduction of 10% of sugar, saturated fat and sodium lead to a modification of the label for 19.2% of products.ConclusionThe 5-CNL adequately discriminates between breakfast cereals. It would therefore be an adequate tool for consumer information on nutritional quality of foods in the French context.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-015-1522-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Breakfast cereals exhibit a wide variability in nutritional quality, and differences are not grasped by consumers
Statistical analysis Median and interquartile range (IQR) of the nutrients accounted for in the score, total fat and carbohydrates and total Food Standards Agency (FSA) score were compared across types of cereals, using the non-parametric KruskallWallis tests
Our results show that through the example of breakfast cereals, a five-category nutritional information label based on the FSA nutrient profiling system displays high performance to discriminate nutritional quality across types of breakfast cereals, within a category of breakfast cereals, within equivalent products
Summary
Breakfast cereals exhibit a wide variability in nutritional quality, and differences are not grasped by consumers. 16.8% of adults and 60.4% of children are breakfast cereals consumers [1,2]. Nutritional quality of breakfast cereals is variable [8,9,10]. They can be considered as highly processed [11], and those marketed to children have regularly been found to have higher contents in sugar than those marketed for adults [12]. Given current knowledge as to content in sugar of breakfast cereals, parents are cautioned against excessive intake of sweet cereals for children [13]. Available information to do so currently includes advertisement or nutritional labelling on food packages [14]
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