Labeling Of Food Products Research Articles

Behaviors Related to Limiting Fat Intake among Young Adults in Saudi Arabia.

Young adults tend to frequently consume foods that are high in fat. Efforts to limit the consumption of fat among the Saudi population have been initiated; however, data concerning current behaviors related to limiting fat intake are lacking. We aimed to explore behaviors related to limiting fat intake and to investigate the association with fat intake among young adults in Saudi Arabia. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 305 students aged ≥19 years were recruited from Taibah University, Madinah. Face-to-face interviews were conducted to collect data concerning sociodemographic status, behaviors related to limiting fat intake, and fat intake. The median score of behaviors related to limiting fat intake was significantly higher among females and supplement users compared to other groups. Healthy weight, overweight, and obese students reported a significantly higher score of behaviors related to limiting fat intake, compared to underweight students. Males who reported making an effort to limit the consumption of fatty foods consumed less total fat, saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, and polyunsaturated fat, while those who reported reading the nutrition fact labels of food products consumed more polyunsaturated fat. Females who reported reading nutrition fact labels consumed less saturated fat. Efforts to limit fat intake have been noted especially among females; however, these efforts were not linked to fat intake among young adults in Saudi Arabia.

Significance of Nutrition Facts Label of Food Products with Critical Updates by FDA on Nutrition Facts Label

Significance of Nutrition Facts Label of Food Products with Critical Updates by FDA on Nutrition Facts Label

Features of food product certification

The article describes the conditions for certification of food products, types of mandatory permits and their execution. Information is also provided on the necessary documents for goods for the procedure for confirming the conformity of food products, fines for violating its rules and labeling of food products.

Survey of Food Product Labels to Assess Compliance With Labelling Provisions in Canada

Food product labels are a public health tool that guides consumers in making food choices. In December 2016, the Government of Canada amended the Food and Drug Regulations (i.e., nutrition labelling, list of ingredients, and food colour requirements). Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) developed an implementation plan that focussed on education and compliance promotion of the new labelling provisions (Canadian Food Inspection Agency, 2022a). This progressive approach allows regulated parties to transition to the new changes gradually. As of December 15, 2021, the former regulations are no longer in effect, and the new labelling requirements apply. This study will survey food labels on products available in the marketplace, regarding the current labelling requirements, and determine whether there is a discrepancy in properly labelled food products between chain versus independent grocery stores of different ethnicity.

Consumption and production of edible insects in an urban circularity context: Opinions and intentions of urban residents

The success of emerging urban agriculture initiatives is partly determined by the acceptance and active involvement of residents. Edible insects can contribute to urban agriculture and to the transition to a circular economy by converting organic side flows into high-value biomass. This explorative online survey (N = 750) assessed the opinions and intentions of residents of Amsterdam city, the Netherlands (18–75 years old) about consumption and production of edible insects for food on household, neighborhood (i.e., centralized facilities for neighbored households), and industrial scales utilizing various side flows. Of the proposed scenarios, industrial insect production was perceived as more attractive (24.9 % of all respondents), than neighborhood (16.3 %) and household (6.7 %) production. Respondents indicated a higher preference for drivers (environmental, economic, expert support, and safety) related to purchasing industrially produced insects (median-5 of 7-point scale) than to participating in neighborhood or household production. Accordingly, most barriers were associated with household production (e.g., inconvenience, economic reasons, lack of knowledge and available information, median-5-6) rather than neighborhood (safety concerns, median-5) and industrial (no defined barriers, median 4) production. Nature (vegetal, animal, or mixed) and source of insect feed were considered important to the respondents, and >80 % of the respondents prefer feed mentioning on the labels of insect-containing food products. The findings suggest that urban initiatives on insect production should consider the current state of acceptance of this idea and the willingness to participate in it, as well as ensure its simplicity, safety, and low monetary cost. Relevant information and expert support should be made available to residents. Moreover, as edible insects are still a novel food concept in Amsterdam, further introduction of insects into the diet might make all proposed scenarios more attractive and meaningful for residents, contributing to the development of circular urban ecosystems in the future.

Analysis of Food Additives and Their Effects on Flavor Perception in Brazil

Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate analysis of food additives and their effects on flavor perception
 Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries.
 Findings: Food additives have diverse effects on flavor perception. Some, like MSG, enhance umami, while artificial sweeteners offer sweetness without calories but may have aftertastes. Salt amplifies saltiness but can lead to overconsumption. Emulsifiers and stabilizers influence texture and mouthfeel. Effects vary among individuals due to genetics and preferences, emphasizing the need for personalized food product development and labeling. Understanding these complexities is crucial for the food industry to create appealing and healthy products.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Sensory Evaluation Theory, Expectation Theory and Psychophysics Theory may be used to anchor future studies on analysis of food additives and their effects on flavor perception. Food manufacturers should prioritize consumer-centric approaches when incorporating additives into their products. Policymakers should consider establishing clearer regulations and guidelines regarding the usage and labeling of food additives.

Gluten-Free Product Recalls and Their Impact on Consumer Trust.

The range of gluten-free food products available to consumers is steadily expanding. In recent years, recalls of food products have highlighted the importance of accurate labeling of food products for the presence of wheat, other gluten-containing cereals, or gluten itself as refined ingredient. The purpose of this study was to gain more insights into recent food recalls related to undeclared gluten/wheat contamination and consumer experiences with these recalls. Recalls of products triggered by gluten contamination are relatively scarce and are not often triggered by a consumer complaint. The impact of these recalls on consumer trust was evaluated through an online survey that was distributed among supporters of Celiac Canada (CCA) and covered (i) strategies to adhere to a gluten-free diet, (ii) experiences with gluten-free recalls and their impact on consumer trust, and (iii) demographic information. Consumer concern regarding gluten-free product recalls is significant, but the concern regarding recalls is not heightened after experiencing a recall. Companies pursuing transparency in the process, identification of the source of contamination, and mitigation strategies going forward are likely to retain consumer trust in their product and brand. Based on the survey results, further efforts focusing on consumer education regarding interpreting nutrient labels, identifying sources of information on product recalls, and understanding procedures to follow upon suspected gluten contamination of a gluten-free product are recommended.

Current food labelling practices in online supermarkets in Australia

BackgroundFood product labelling can support consumer decision-making. Several food product labels (nutrition information panels (NIPs), ingredients lists, allergen declarations and country-of-origin) are mandated for physical product packaging in Australia, with a voluntary front-of-pack nutrition labelling system, Health Star Ratings (HSRs), also available. However, labelling requirements are not explicitly extended to online settings and the extent to which this information is available in these increasingly important food environments has not been assessed.MethodsData from all individual food product pages was collected from the online stores of the two dominant supermarket retailers in Australia using automated web scraping in April–May 2022 (n = 22,077 products collected). We assessed the proportion of pages displaying NIPs, ingredients, allergens, country-of-origin and HSRs after excluding products ineligible to display the respective label. We also assessed whether HSRs were differentially available for higher- (healthier) and lower-scoring (less healthy) products, with HSR scores drawn from a comprehensive Australian food composition database, FoodSwitch. A manual inspection of randomly selected product pages (n = 100 for each label type per supermarket), drawn from products displaying the relevant label, was conducted to assess whether the labels were immediately visible to users (i.e. without scrolling or clicking). Differences in labelling prevalence and visibility were compared using chi-squared tests.ResultsAcross both supermarkets, country-of-origin labelling was almost complete (displayed on 93% of food product pages), but NIPs (49%), ingredients (34%) and allergens (53%) were less frequently displayed. HSRs were infrequently displayed (14% across both supermarkets) and more likely to be applied to higher-scoring products (22% on products with ≥ 3.5HSR v 0.4% on products with < 3.5HSR, p < 0.001). One supermarket was far more likely to make NIPs (100% v 2%, p < 0.001), ingredients (100% v 19%, p < 0.001) and allergens (97% v 0%, p < 0.001) information immediately visible, though the other made HSRs more apparent (22% v 75%, p < 0.001). Both supermarkets displayed country-of-origin labels prominently (100% v 86%, p < 0.001).ConclusionsFood product labelling varies in online supermarkets in Australia overall and between supermarkets, while the design of online stores resulted in differences in labelling visibility. The near-complete display of country-of-origin labels and differential application of HSRs to higher-scoring products may reflect their use as marketing tools. Our findings highlight an urgent need for food labelling regulations to be updated to better account for online retail food environments.

Challenge-verified thresholds for allergens mandatory for labeling: How little is too much for the most sensitive patient?

It is mandatory to label food products with the 14 main allergens in the EU. Reasonable allergen labeling requires knowledge of population-based thresholds derived from food challenges. The aim of this study was to evaluate the threshold-distribution in clinically verified food allergic patients for allergens mandatory for labeling. All positive open oral food challenges and double-blind placebo-controlled food challenges (DBPCFC) performed at the Allergy Center, Odense University Hospital, Denmark (2000-2022) were included. For each included challenge, the cumulative threshold (LOAEL) was obtained and NOAEL estimated. Data were modelled as an interval censored log-normal distribution. Overall, 38 of all 2612 challenges (1.5%) in 1229 patients (717 male, 986 children) reacted to <5 mg protein. The majority of the most sensitive patients reacted with a Sampson severity score of 2-3. Using interval censored log-normal models only five groups (hens´ egg, fish, peanut, milk, tree-nuts) elicited reactions after ingestion of 0.5 mg protein and in low frequencies of the population. Hen's egg was the most potent allergen, with reactivity to <0.5 mg protein in 0.24% [0.13-0.44%] of egg allergic patients while the estimated fraction of allergic patients reacting to a eliciting dose on 0.5 mg protein for most other allergens were below 0.04%. Our data demonstrates that the majority of food allergic patients as expected tolerating traces of allergenic foods without developing severe allergic symptoms and signs. Hen's egg appears to be the food most likely to elicit reactions in the most sensitive individuals at very low doses.

Effects of dietary restraint on perceived healthfulness and purchase intention: the moderating effects of food type and product label

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate genetically modified food labeling effects on dietary restrained consumers’ perception and purchase intention based upon various labels and food type – whole versus processed.Design/methodology/approachA 2 (food type: whole vs processed) × 2 (product label: genetically modified organism [GMO] vs nongenetically modified organism [non-GMO]) research design was used in two steps. In the first step, the authors distributed 1,000 surveys, of which 858 surveys were used, and in the second step, the authors distributed 1,000 surveys and were able to use 891 surveys.FindingsResults show that respondents with higher levels of dietary restraint have higher levels of perceived healthfulness. In addition, respondents with higher perceived healthfulness levels have a higher level of purchase intention for whole/GMO products, whole/non-GMO products, processed/GMO products and processed/non-GMO products. Moreover, the results show that individuals have higher purchase intention for whole/non-GMO than the whole/GMO products, whole/GMO than the processed/non-GMO products and processed/non-GMO than the processed/GMO products.Research limitations/implicationsA future longitudinal study with assigned tracking numbers is suggested. Given that four different blocks were randomized, comparing data among individual participants would be interesting, as the ability to compare responses would be feasible among the four separate blocks.Originality/valueThe results of this study may assist the government in policy development, food manufacturers in labeling techniques used and consumers by increasing transparency and information availability.

South African Consumers' Knowledge, Opinions and Awareness of Whole Grains and Their Health Benefits: A Cross-Sectional Online Survey.

Evidence indicates that whole-grain food consumption reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, and some cancers. Increasing whole-grain consumption in developing countries is likely to significantly benefit the health of the population. However, there is very limited information on consumer whole-grain knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in developing countries. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1000 South African consumers with sufficient income to make food purchase choices and who were generally representative in terms of gender, age, and ethnicity. Most respondents (64%) were confident of their whole-grain knowledge. However, 60% of all participants selected incorrect definitions of whole grains. Whilst most correctly identified common cereals as whole grains, at most 50% of participants correctly identified common whole-grain foods. Also, whilst most (67%) thought that they were consuming enough whole grains, the majority (62%) underestimated the recommended level of consumption. Furthermore, respondent knowledge regarding whole-grain food attributes and the health benefits of whole-grain consumption was generally poor. Clearly, consumer-focused strategies are needed in developing countries to increase whole-grain food consumption to help the broader population achieve a healthy and sustainable diet. Actions proposed include: simple-to-understand information on whole-grain content relative to recommendations on food product labels, the provision of whole-grain foods in school nutrition schemes, and coordinated social and behavior change communication initiatives.

The impact of the new Brazilian labeling standard, RDC 429/2020, on access to food nutrition information: A review

Food product labels, widely used in advertising and marketing actions, play an important role in ensuring the population’s health. The industry communicates with the consumer through it by highlighting the main characteristics of the food, in addition to information regarding the chemical and nutritional composition of the product. Thus, this study aimed to discuss the impact of the new Brazilian legislation for food labeling provided by ANVISA’s RDC 429/2020 on access to nutritional information based on a literature review in digital collections of scientific publications, such as SciELO (Scientific Electronic Library Online), LILACS (Latin American and Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences), and BVS (Virtual Health Library). A time frame of 10 years (2013-2023) was used. It was possible to see that food labeling has evolved over the past decades, always with the aim of providing consumers with a better understanding of what they are eating. Furthermore, RDC 429/2020 brought new mandatory information to the nutrition table, especially with front labeling for foods with high added sugars, saturated fats, and/or sodium content. A positive impact is expected with its fulfillment, which may enable easy access to information for consumers, who will make a more conscious choice about the food products they intend to consume. Therefore, considering avoiding frontal labeling, the food industry will be obliged to reduce the percentage of these compounds, improving the nutritional quality of commercialized products.

The complexity of food purchase motivations: Impacts of key priorities, knowledge, and information sources on active purchase of food labels

Studies of consumer preferences of specialty food labels have characterized the collection of values underlying active purchase decisions of individual labels. We explore whether a discernible structure of values and decision-making frameworks exists among consumers and across a variety of specialty food labels: USDA organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, and Certified Humane®. We segment consumers based on their motivations for purchasing the three labels simultaneously using cluster analysis, and then analyze the decision-making complexity for each cluster using hurdle models. Five clusters are identified and characterized: Never Buyers, Safety-First buyers, Biotechnology Avoiders, Health and Wellness Seekers, and Agricultural Idealists. Results indicate that the complexity of consumer motivations for buying specialty food labels is based on a hierarchical ordering of food values with the foundational value of food safety being the most important for a majority of consumers, and values related to environmental and animal welfare considerations present in only the most complex motivation structures. We also find that consumer interest in an animal welfare label may be constrained by limited consumer association of the label with food safety or other direct consumer benefits. Our results have significant implications for the development of specialty food labeling schemes and optimal communication strategies over specialty labeled food products.

Willingness-to-pay for ready-to-eat clean label food products at convenient stores

Clean label food products using natural and fresh ingredients with minimal additives have gained popularity in the market. In this study, four types of ready-to-eat clean label food products [red bean bread (bread category), rosemary chicken lunch (lunch box category), lemon tea (beverage category), and sliced mango preserves (snack category)] available at convenient stores in Taiwan are selected for willingness-to-pay (WTP) measurement. A consumer survey was administered, and multivariate analyses (factor analysis, cluster analysis, MANOVA) are applied in data analytics. Results indicate that the increases in retail price for those in the high-WTP cluster ranged from 13.22% (Sliced mango preserves) to 14.06% (Lemon tea). For the low-WTP cluster, the increases in retail price ranged from 3.74% (Sliced mango preserves) to 4.35% (Bread). Findings in this study indicate that product involvement can be considered as the core factor for those who are willing to pay higher percentage of retail prices of ready-to-eat clean label food products at convenient stores. Ingredients and product labeling are important for potential customers to distinguish clean label food products from conventional products in the market.

Pencantuman Label Alergen dalam Pelabelan Produk Pangan Sebagai Bentuk Perlindungan Konsumen

The purpose of this study is to present a normative analysis of the labeling of food products in Indonesia and the relationship between information disclosure on food labels and the implementation of consumer protection. This research uses normative juridical methods. The results conclude that first, the current global food issue is the danger of consuming food ingredients that contain allergens. The United States, Singapore and Japan have required the inclusion of allergen information in the labeling of food products in their respective National Laws. This is a lesson for Indonesia to require the inclusion of allergen information in the National Law. Therefore, a limited revision of Article 97 paragraph 3 of the Food Law is needed to include the obligation to include warnings for allergen content on food labels. Second, many food products do not display information in accordance with reality and its original content, which is detrimental to consumers. Consumer protection in food regulation through food labeling departs from the State's efforts to safeguard the rights and interests of these consumers so that they are not harmed by profit-oriented producers by way of processing and distributing fair and healthy food products based on the principle of information disclosure.

Accuracy of declared nutrient content on labels of commercial complementary food products in Cambodia, Indonesia and Senegal.

Commercially produced complementary foods (CPCF) have the potential to fill nutritional gaps in the diets of older infants and young children. This study evaluated the accuracy of nutrient declarations on labels of 43 commonly available CPCF in three peri-urban/urban locations: Khsach Kandal district, Cambodia (n = 11); Bandung, Indonesia (n = 11) and Guédiawaye and Dakar departments, Senegal (n = 21). Label values (LV) from product nutrient declarations were compared to analytical values (AV) derived from laboratory nutrient analysis for macronutrients (carbohydrate, protein and total fat), nutrients of public health concern (saturated fat, total sugar and sodium), and micronutrients of interest (calcium, iron and zinc). European Union guidance for nutrition label accuracy was used to set tolerance ranges for each nutrient LV relative to AV. LV were missing for one or more nutrients in 88.4% (n = 38) of the CPCF products and no CPCF met EU tolerance thresholds for all nine nutrients assessed. Over half of products with LV for key micronutrients (55.6%, n = 10/18) and macronutrients (54.8%, n = 23/42) met tolerances for LV accuracy. Eighty-five percent (n = 11/13) of products with LV for nutrients of public health concern were determined to be accurate. Nutrient content claims for iron appeared on 19 (44.2%) of the 43 products. Of the products which made an iron content claim, 26.3% had inaccurate LV with the majority of these containing less iron than declared. Regulatory action is needed to ensure that CPCF labelling communicates complete and accurate nutrient content information that enables caregivers to make informed decisions for feeding older infants and young children.

Italian consumers’ awareness, preferences and attitudes about Sicilian blood oranges (Arancia Rossa di Sicilia PGI)

The objective of the paper is describing the results of a survey on the consumer's awareness, preferences and attitudes of certified quality products such as fruit and vegetable, and in particular of Sicilian Blood Oranges (Arancia Rossa di Sicilia) which is PGI product. A total of 26 participants with heterogenous socio-demographic background took part in the study. The aim of the study was achieved using focus groups (FGs). Three sessions of FGs were held in September 2021 in three Italian cities chosen as a convenience sample to represent the entire Italian territory. The results show that fruit and vegetables have a particularly relevant role in the eating habits of the sample. For the interviewees, the quality label of food products is a guarantee of being Italian, of compliance with production norms and standards, of natural and genuine products and of a more intense and good taste and flavour. For the whole target, Arancia Rossa di Sicilia PGI is a premium product of reliable excellence and whose quality can be assured because it is certified, as long as the consumer recognizes the certification logo on the product.

Development and validation of a multiplex real-time PCR assay for accurate authentication of common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) and tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) in food

The increased demand for accurate information on ingredients listed on food product labels requires identifying a plant's species of origin. To efficiently and rapidly discriminate between common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) and tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum), here we developed a multiplex real-time PCR assay. This assay included target species-specific and shared primer/probe sets representing the two buckwheat species. Multiplex real-time PCR analyses specifically amplified the target species without detectable cross-reactivity with nontarget plant samples. The detection limit was 1% for common buckwheat in tartary buckwheat and 2% for tartary buckwheat in common buckwheat. The method was verified through application to processed products and was confirmed through comparison with the food label information. The species identified were identical to those declared on the product label. Therefore, this multiplex real-time PCR assay will serve as a sensitive and specific diagnostic tool for detection of buckwheat species in foods.

Nutritional labelling of food products purchased from online retail outlets: screening of compliance with European Union tolerance limits by near infrared spectroscopy

Nutritional information provided on food labels can impact healthy dietary decisions of consumers. The accuracy of the information provided is of paramount importance to guide consumers’ food choices and prevent food-related chronic diseases. The present study aimed to verify the veracity of nutritional labels of 103 food products purchased online through well-known e-commerce websites (80 processed and 23 unprocessed items) using near infrared spectroscopy. Among processed food products, surprisingly, 28 food products out of 80 (35%) did not bear nutritional labels. Considering the European tolerances for nutrient values declared on a label, the comparison of experimental values with those reported on the labels showed that more than 74% of the values declared on the label were congruent with the NIR experimental data, whereas 7.5% of the label values were non-compliant with the tolerance limits, and about 11.3% were slightly outside the tolerance limits. Note that 6.6% of the values indicated in the labels did not abide the regulation at all. Finally, 35.8% of the samples showed at least one value outside the tolerance limits. The current study demonstrated the capability of NIR spectroscopy for monitoring the compliance of nutritional labels with EU tolerance limits and guiding the choice of reference methods for further confirmation purposes.

Gambaran sikap terhadap kesehatan dan label produk pangan pada mahasiswa jenjang sarjana program studi gizi di Kepualauan Riau

Obesity in adolescents and adults is a phenomenon of particular concern from a health perspective. There have been several attempts to reduce obesity, one of which is by controlling food calorie intake. Food calories can be informed through food labels on food products. Food labels are a source of information or media knowledge about food for consideration in buying a product. Consumer awareness in reading food labels before buying or consuming a food product is still very low. This study aims to describe the awareness or attitude of nutrition students towards health and food product labels. The research method is observational with a cross sectional design. The results of the study 53.1% of respondents have a negative attitude towards health and food product labels.