Use of Branded Food Composition Databases for the Exploitation of Food Fortification Practices: A Case Study on Vitamin D in the Slovenian Food Supply.

Sanja Krušič,Edvina Hafner,Katja Žmitek,Maša Hribar,Igor Pravst

doi:10.3389/fnut.2021.775163

Abstract

Vitamin D deficiency is a worldwide public health concern, which can be addressed with voluntary or mandatory food fortification. The aim of this study was to determine if branded food composition databases can be used to investigate voluntary fortification practices. A case study was conducted using two nationally representative cross-sectional datasets of branded foods in Slovenia, collected in 2017 and 2020, and yearly sales data. Using food labeling data we investigated prevalence of fortification and average vitamin D content, while nutrient profiling was used to investigate overall nutritional quality of the foods. In both datasets, the highest prevalence of vitamin D fortification was observed in meal replacements (78% in 2017; 100% in 2020) and in margarine, corresponding to high market share. Other food categories commonly fortified with vitamin D are breakfast cereals (5% in 2017; 6% in 2020), yogurts and their imitates (5% in 2017; 4% in 2020), and baby foods (18% in both years). The highest declared average content of vitamin D was observed in margarine and foods for specific dietary use (7–8 μg/100g), followed by breakfast cereals (4 μg/100g), while the average content in other foods was below 2 μg/100g. Only minor differences were observed between 2017 and 2020. Major food-category differences were also observed in comparison of the overall nutritional quality of the fortified foods; higher overall nutritional quality was only observed in fortified margarine. Our study showed that branded food composition databases are extremely useful resources for the investigation and monitoring of fortification practices, particularly if sales data can also be used. In the absence of mandatory or recommended fortification in Slovenia, very few manufacturers decide to add vitamin D, and even when this is the case, such products are commonly niche foods with lower market shares. We observed exceptions in imported foods, which can be subject to fortification policies introduced in other countries.

Highlights

Vitamin D (VitD) is a fat-soluble vitamin family usually encompassing ergocalciferol (D2) and cholecalciferol (D3) [1, 2]
It is well established that the exposure of skin to sufficiently intensive ultraviolet B (UVB) sunlight is a key source of VitD for humans [12]; UVB photons enter the skin and photolyze 7-dehydrocholesterol into previtamin D3, which is transformed into vitamin D3 [13, 14]
While the Composition and Labeling Information System (CLAS) datasets include all the prepacked foods available in the selected grocery stores at the time of sampling, this case study only included food categories in which we found products fortified with VitD

Summary

Introduction

Vitamin D (VitD) is a fat-soluble vitamin family usually encompassing ergocalciferol (D2) and cholecalciferol (D3) [1, 2]. The cutaneous biosynthesis is affected by various personal and environmental factors [15,16,17,18,19], and when it is insufficient to ensure adequate VitD status, dietary intake of VitD becomes of major importance. Both sources combined are commonly not enough, making VitD deficiency one of the most frequent micronutrient deficiencies globally [20]. The situation in Slovenia, a mid-latitude European country (45◦ and 46◦N), is far from perfect; considerable seasonal variations in VitD status were reported; with about 80% of the adult population having insufficient VitD status, and about 40% VitD deficiency during winter time [21]

Objectives

Methods

Results