Abstract
Nutrient profiling ranks foods based on their nutrient composition, with applications in multiple aspects of food policy. We tested the capacity of a category-specific model developed for product reformulation to improve the average nutrient content of foods, using five national food composition datasets (UK, US, China, Brazil, France). Products (n = 7183) were split into 35 categories based on the Nestlé Nutritional Profiling Systems (NNPS) and were then classified as NNPS ‘Pass’ if all nutrient targets were met (energy (E), total fat (TF), saturated fat (SFA), sodium (Na), added sugars (AS), protein, calcium). In a modelling scenario, all NNPS Fail products were ‘reformulated’ to meet NNPS standards. Overall, a third (36%) of all products achieved the NNPS standard/pass (inter-country and inter-category range: 32%–40%; 5%–72%, respectively), with most products requiring reformulation in two or more nutrients. The most common nutrients to require reformulation were SFA (22%–44%) and TF (23%–42%). Modelled compliance with NNPS standards could reduce the average content of SFA, Na and AS (10%, 8% and 6%, respectively) at the food supply level. Despite the good potential to stimulate reformulation across the five countries, the study highlights the need for better data quality and granularity of food composition databases.
Highlights
The capacity for nutrient profiling, to rank or classify foods based on their nutrient composition [1], has motivated recent research on the relationship between foods, their nutrient composition, and potential diet and health outcomes [2,3,4,5,6,7,8]
The Nestlé Nutritional Profiling System (NNPS) [16] and the similar Unilever system [17] are applied within the respective food companies to guide their specific reformulation actions
We tested whether the NNPS categories, reference amounts, nutrients and respective nutrient targets, originally linked to the Nestlé portfolio, were (i) applicable in the food composition databases of five countries, and (ii) suitable to identify product categories to prioritize for reformulation
Summary
The capacity for nutrient profiling, to rank or classify foods based on their nutrient composition [1], has motivated recent research on the relationship between foods, their nutrient composition, and potential diet and health outcomes [2,3,4,5,6,7,8]. The majority of initiatives with a primary focus on reformulation, either voluntary or mandatory schemes, adopt a single nutrient approach, most often focused on sodium [20,21,22], instead of nutrient profiling. The Nestlé Nutritional Profiling System (NNPS) [16] and the similar Unilever system [17] are applied within the respective food companies to guide their specific reformulation actions. These two systems provide targets for the simultaneous reduction of nutrients like sodium, sugars, saturated fat and trans fat, and, in the case of the NNPS, it provides targets for the minimum content of protein, fibre and calcium. Little is known regarding the external relevance of such systems (beyond company portfolios) to improve the average nutritional composition of foods
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
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 call
