Abstract
Nutrition and health claims should be truthful and not misleading. We aimed to determine the use of nutrition and health claims in packaged foods sold in Mongolia and examine their credibility. A cross-sectional study examined the label information of 1723 products sold in marketplaces in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The claim data were analysed descriptively. In the absence of national regulations, the credibility of the nutrition claims was examined by using the Codex Alimentarius guidelines, while the credibility of the health claims was assessed by using the European Union (EU) Regulations (EC) No 1924/2006. Nutritional quality of products bearing claims was determined by nutrient profiling. Approximately 10% (n = 175) of products carried at least one health claim and 9% (n = 149) carried nutrition claims. The credibility of nutrition and health claims was very low. One-third of nutrition claims (33.7%, n = 97) were deemed credible, by having complete and accurate information on the content of the claimed nutrient/s. Only a few claims would be permitted in the EU countries by complying with the EU regulations. Approximately half of the products with nutrition claims and 40% of products with health claims were classified as less healthy products. The majority of nutrition and health claims on food products sold in Mongolia were judged as non-credible, and many of these claims were on unhealthy products. Rigorous and clear regulations are needed to prevent negative impacts of claims on food choices and consumption, and nutrition transition in Mongolia.
Highlights
Lifestyle-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of global deaths, responsible for 71% of the 57 million global deaths in 2016
The majority of nutrition and health claims on food products sold in Mongolia were judged as non-credible, and many of these claims were on unhealthy products
This study identified that nutrition and health claims found on food and beverage products in Mongolia had very low levels of credibility
Summary
Lifestyle-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of global deaths, responsible for 71% of the 57 million global deaths in 2016. Almost eight in every ten deaths from. NCDs occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) [1]. Nutrition transition can result in higher rates of obesity and NCDs and is associated with shifts in diet, physical activity and other lifestyle changes that follow economic, demographic and epidemiological changes [2]. Changes in diet are one of the key characteristics of nutrition transition. Dietary changes include increased consumption of processed foods and shifts from traditional diets to Western pattern diets high in energy, sugars and fat [2]. Nutrition transition is a global phenomenon but is occurring much faster in LMICs [3]
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