Reformulation and Priorities for Reducing Energy Density; Results from a Cross-Sectional Survey on Fat Content in Pre-Packed Cakes and Biscuits Sold in British Supermarkets.

Roberta Alessandrini,Feng J He,Monique Tan,Graham A Macgregor,Kawther M Hashem

doi:10.3390/nu11061216

Roberta Alessandrini, Feng J He + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11061216

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Journal: Nutrients	Publication Date: May 28, 2019
Citations: 6	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Queen Mary University of London

Abstract

Cakes and biscuits contribute to energy, total and saturated fat and sugar in British diets. So far, the UK government has prompted manufacturers to reduce energy density in these products through a reduction of their sugar content. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of the fat content of cakes and biscuits available in nine UK supermarket chains. In cakes (n = 381), the mean total fat content was 17.9 ± 5.2 g/100 g (39% of the overall energy); range (1.4–35.6 g/100 g) and the average saturated fat content in cakes was 5.9 ± 3.4 g/100 g (13% of the overall energy); range (0.3–20 g/100 g). In biscuits (n = 481), the mean total fat content was 21.8 g ± 6.3 g/100 g (40% of the overall energy); range (0.7–38.9 g/100 g) and the average saturated fat content was 11.4 ± 4.9 g/100 g (23% of the overall energy); range (0.3–22.3 g/100 g). In both cakes and biscuits, total and saturated fat content was positively correlated with energy density. Our results show that cakes and biscuits sold in UK supermarkets are high in total and saturated fat, and that fat content contributes substantially to product energy density. Fat reformulation in these products would effectively reduce energy density, calorie intake and help prevent obesity. Fat reformulation should be implemented simultaneously with sugar reformulation and be focused on saturated fat, as this will have the additional effect of lowering LDL cholesterol.

Highlights

Obesity and overweight prevalence are high in England
The cakes (n = 381) had an energy density of 406 ± 37 kcal/100 g and an average total fat content of 17.9 ± 5.2 g/100 g, which contributed to 39% of the overall product energy
Our study demonstrates that biscuits and cakes sold in UK supermarkets contain a considerable amount of fat and saturated fat, and that fat contributes substantially to product energy density

Summary

Introduction

Obesity and overweight prevalence are high in England. The most recent statistics show that two out of three adults and one out of three children are overweight or obese [1]. Many countries are making efforts towards improving the nutritional quality of the food supply chain. To align with these principles, the UK government has committed to engage with the food industry to reduce calories in food and drinks through product reformulation [4]. Since 2015, Public Health England, the agency appointed by the UK government to lead on the first ever sugar reformulation program, has focused mainly on lowering calories through sugar reduction (the Sugar Reduction Program) [7].

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