Mandatory Nutrition Labelling Research Articles

PERSPECTIVE OF FEDERAL PUBLIC POLICY REPRESENTATIVES ON FOOD LABELS

Purpose: Knowing the perspective of federal public policy representatives on food labels in Brazil. Methodology: It is a descriptive, exploratory, qualitative approach, in which representatives of institutions responsible for the elaboration and review of regulations on general and nutritional food labeling in Brazil were interviewed in 2016. Data treatment was done through the content analysis technique. Results: Respondents considered food label as a right to information and highlighted advances such as the mandatory nutrition labeling. They cited obstacles that delay the regulatory process, such as the standardization process of the legislation with Mercosur countries, excessively technical information and conflicts of interest, including the lobbying of industries. Among the challenges, there was the need to establish a closer relationship between nutrients and ingredients, and the adoption of a frontal nutrition labeling model, in order to make nutrition information available in a clear and concise manner. Conclusions: These results may support professionals who act directly or indirectly with consumers in the elaboration of strategies to help them choose food through nutritional labeling and ingredient lists, in order to promote health and improve the quality of life. DOI: 10.12957/demetra.2017.29571

Food labelling beyond EU borders

Food labelling beyond EU borders

Saturated and trans fatty acids content in unpackaged traditional bakery products in Santa Fe city, Argentina: nutrition labeling relevance

Studies have reported the relationship between the excessive intake of saturated fatty acids (SFA) and trans fatty acids (t-FA) and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Since 2006, the MERCOSUR countries require that the mandatory nutrition labeling should include information not only about the content of SFA but also about the content of t-FA. This does not apply to fractionated products at the point of retail, such as bakery products. This paper aimed to determine the total fat content and the fatty acid profile in unpackaged traditional bakery products (breads, biscuits and pastries) in Santa Fe, Argentina. Except for French bread, the contribution of t-FA and SFA to the total FA consumption from baked products was high. On the other hand, due to the high variability detected in the FA composition of bakery products between bakeries, it would be necessary to implement regulations making nutrition labeling mandatory in these products.

Impact of Salt Intake on the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Hypertension.

Excessive dietary salt (sodium chloride) intake is associated with an increased risk for hypertension, which in turn is especially a major risk factor for stroke and other cardiovascular pathologies, but also kidney diseases. Besides, high salt intake or preference for salty food is discussed to be positive associated with stomach cancer, and according to recent studies probably also obesity risk. On the other hand a reduction of dietary salt intake leads to a considerable reduction in blood pressure, especially in hypertensive patients but to a lesser extent also in normotensives as several meta-analyses of interventional studies have shown. Various mechanisms for salt-dependent hypertension have been put forward including volume expansion, modified renal functions and disorders in sodium balance, impaired reaction of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system and the associated receptors, central stimulation of the activity of the sympathetic nervous system, and possibly also inflammatory processes.Not every person reacts to changes in dietary salt intake with alterations in blood pressure, dividing people in salt sensitive and insensitive groups. It is estimated that about 50-60 % of hypertensives are salt sensitive. In addition to genetic polymorphisms, salt sensitivity is increased in aging, in black people, and in persons with metabolic syndrome or obesity. However, although mechanisms of salt-dependent hypertensive effects are increasingly known, more research on measurement, storage and kinetics of sodium, on physiological properties, and genetic determinants of salt sensitivity are necessary to harden the basis for salt reduction recommendations.Currently estimated dietary intake of salt is about 9-12g per day in most countries of the world. These amounts are significantly above the WHO recommended level of less than 5g salt per day. According to recent research results a moderate reduction of daily salt intake from current intakes to 5-6g can reduce morbidity rates. Potential risks of salt reduction, like suboptimal iodine supply, are limited and manageable. Concomitant to salt reduction, potassium intake by higher intake of fruits and vegetables should be optimised, since several studies have provided evidence that potassium rich diets or interventions with potassium can lower blood pressure, especially in hypertensives.In addition to dietary assessment the gold standard for measuring salt intake is the analysis of sodium excretion in the 24h urine. Spot urine samples are appropriate alternatives for monitoring sodium intake. A weakness of dietary evaluations is that the salt content of many foods is not precisely known and information in nutrient databases are limited. A certain limitation of the urine assessment is that dietary sources contributing to salt intake cannot be identified.Salt reduction strategies include nutritional education, improving environmental conditions (by product reformulation and optimization of communal catering) up to mandatory nutrition labeling and regulated nutrition/health claims, as well as legislated changes in the form of taxation.Regarding dietary interventions for the reduction of blood pressure the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet can be recommended. In addition, body weight should be normalized in overweight and obese people (BMI less than 25kg/m2), salt intake should not exceed 5g/day according to WHO recommendations (<2g sodium/day), no more than 1.5g sodium/d in blacks, middle- and older-aged persons, and individuals with hypertension, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease, intake of potassium (~4.7g/day) should be increased and alcohol consumption limited. In addition, regular physical activity (endurance, dynamic resistance, and isometric resistance training) is very important.

経営形態別にみた食品製造事業者における加工食品の栄養成分表示実施の現状と義務化に向けた課題

【目的】食品製造事業者における加工食品の栄養成分表示実施の現状や食品表示法に基づき義務化された場合の課題等を把握し，栄養成分表示義務化に向けての支援方策を検討する基礎資料を得ることを目的とした。【方法】首都圏近郊の政令指定都市Ａ市において加工食品製造に関する食品衛生法の営業許可を受けていた全277事業者を対象に，2013年10月に郵送法による質問紙調査を実施し，経営形態や規模別に比較した。【結果】回収率は47.9％であった。栄養成分表示を行っている事業者は10.4％であった。栄養成分表示を行っていない理由は，必要性を感じないとの回答が最も多かった。食品表示法の成立，栄養成分表示義務化の検討に対する認知度は，中大規模会社と比較し，小規模会社，自営業，非営利団体で低かった。栄養成分表示義務化の課題は，小規模会社，中大規模会社では，人的，費用の負担増加，容器包装のスペースが限られているとの回答が多かった。自営業では，具体的な手順を知らない，相談先が分からないとの回答が多かった。栄養成分表示が義務化された場合に行政や業界団体等からの必要な支援は，すべての経営形態において，経費の補助，事業者自らが表示を行う際に参考となる資料や教材の提供との回答が多かった。【結論】栄養成分表示の義務化に向けて，食品表示法そのものの周知と，栄養成分表示を行うための具体的な資料の提供や身近な相談場所の確保が必要である。

The role of new media in marketing unhealthy food and beverages to children and adolescents

theoretical framework that will enable organisation of current and future universal obesity prevention interventions into their likely impact on the socioeconomic gradient of population weight gain. Methods: We partitioned the framework into two scales; the environment where action is taken (micro and macro environments) and the degree to which an intervention targets individual agency or embedded structures to influence behaviour change (characterised by three predominant policy types: agentic, agento-structural and structural). Results: Agentic interventions, which are heavily reliant on individual agency, are more likely to increase socioeconomic inequalities in population weight. Examples of these types of interventions include social marketing, school nutrition education programs and signage to encourage healthy behaviours. Structural interventions generally describe an equal or greater benefit for lower socioeconomic groups and include food procurement policies, restricting the availability of unhealthy foods in schools and a mandatory increase in school physical education time. Agento-structural interventions are mindful of the environment in which health behaviours take place, but individual agency is nonetheless important. Agento-structural interventions include work place design to encourage incidental exercise and mandatory nutrition labelling. There is a lack of empirical evidence and theoretical clarity regarding the socioeconomic impact of agento-structural interventions, however we hypothesise that those aimed at the macroenvironmental context are more likely to have an equitable impact. Conclusions: Examination of the socioeconomic health impact of obesity prevention interventions is crucial. This is especially true for agentostructural interventions, which show great promise for obesity prevention, but where the greatest uncertainty regarding the socioeconomic health impact remains. Failure to do so runs the risk of widening the socioeconomic gradient in health as we strive to prevent obesity.

Nutirtion labelling of food and allergen in food

The new regulation introduced mandatory nutrition labelling and ordering food manufacturers provide information on energy and six nutrients: fat, saturated fatty acids, carbohydrates, sugars, protein and salt - in that order, and per 100 g or 100 ml. This information should be included in the nutritional table in one visual field (usually on the back cover), moreover, can also be expressed on per serving. It is important to realize that this regulation requires manufacturers indicate the nutritional value in one field of vision, usually on the "back cover" designation in the principal field (e.g. "on the front cover") remains voluntary. Food allergy is a significant public health issue worldwide. Regulatory risk management strategies for allergic consumers have focused on providing information about the presence of food allergens through label declarations. A number of countries and regulatory bodies have recognized the importance of providing this information by enacting laws, regulations or standards for food allergen labelling of ‘‘priority allergens. Increasing volume of the international food trade suggests that there would be value in supporting sensitive consumers by harmonizing (to the extent possible) these regulatory frameworks. As a first step toward this goal, an inventory of allergen labelling regulations was assembled and analyzed to identify commonalities, differences, and future needs.

Inching toward universal nutrient disclosure

A proposed global standard for mandatory nutrition labelling would compel all food producers to articulate fat, protein, fibre, sodium, sugar and calorie content on the back of all processed food packages. The proposed standard, which was ironed out during a Codex Committee on Food Labelling

Règlementation relative à l’étiquetage et aux allégations des produits alimentaires en général, et des huiles et matières grasses en particulier

Scientific research has evolved to identify relationship between nutrients and health effects. Theses scientific evidences can help to establish public health recommendations, which will be used by operators to formulate or optimize their food products. Labelling serves as a support for consumer information, raising its awareness about the food product nutritional composition. This enables the consumer to make an informed choice. Labelling also participates in the promotion of some of the food components, e.g. essential fatty acids in vegetable oils. In this context, regulation has evolved and allows operators to highlight nutritional benefits of their products via labelling information. Two different types of information must be distinguished: nutrition labelling and nutrition or health claims. The new European Regulation 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, published at the end of 2011, establishes a mandatory nutrition labelling with a fixed list of nutrients. Hence, food manufacturers are required to label the energy, fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt content of all their products. The Regulation on nutrition and health claims made on foods, published at the end of 2006, applies stringent rules to the use of claims and introduces the concept of a positive list for nutrition and generic health claims. This regulation aims at supporting public health recommendations and at providing the consumer with a high level of protection. A number of claims can be applied to vegetable oils. Nutrition labelling is an essential tool to disseminate and popularize scientific information in order to outreach consumers, as in the case of fatty acids, plant sterols or fat-soluble vitamins labeled in vegetable oils.

Risk Assessment of Exposure to Trans Fat in Canada

Trans fats are undesirable because they raise LDL cholesterol and lower HDL cholesterol levels in the blood, which can lead to an increased risk of coronary heart disease. In the mid 1990’’s, researchers estimated that Canadians had one of the highest average trans fat intakes in the world, estimated to be approximately 3.7% of energy. The World Health Organization recommends that average intakes of trans fats should be less than 1% of total energy. As such Canada has pursued a multi faceted approach to decrease trans fat levels in Canadian foods. Initiatives undertaken include: mandatory nutrition labelling, the establishment of a multi stakeholder Trans Fat Task Force to develop recommendations and strategies to eliminate trans fat in Canadian foods, and most recently the monitoring of industry’’s efforts in reducing trans fats from their food products. Collectively, these initiatives have proven successful as average trans fat intakes have been reduced to 1.42% of overall energy. Further reductions in trans fat levels in the Canadian food supply are needed to meet the target of 1% of energy, the associated public health objectives, and the protection of vulnerable populations.

Small step forward in global food labelling

Global standards for “mandatory nutrition labelling” on the back of food packaging appear to be in the offing but standards for the front of packages appear to be a distant dream. The guidelines will be crafted this summer by the Codex Food Labelling Committee, which is part of the Codex

Economic aspects of obesity prevention

Governments in OECD countries have intervened in a variety of ways to improve diets, increase physical activity and tackle obesity in recent years. The preventive interventions assessed in this analysis are drawn from the most commonly used approaches, including: health education and health promotion (mass media campaigns, school-based interventions, worksite interventions); regulation and fiscal measures (fiscal measures altering the prices of healthy and unhealthy foods, regulation of food advertising to children and mandatory nutrition labelling); and, counselling of individuals at risk in primary care. This report examines the characteristics, the costs and the relative success of each approach in improving health outcomes and social disparities in health, with specific reference to the European context.

Case Study on Nutrition Labelling Policy-making in Canada

In order to understand policy-making capacities, we conducted an in-depth examination of three stages of the policy cycle (agenda-setting, formulation, and decision-making) leading to mandatory nutrition labelling, nutrient content claims, and health claims regulations in Canada. Data were collected through document review and key informant interviews (n=24) conducted with government, industry, health organizations, professional associations, academia, and consumer advocacy groups. The policy-making processes were complex, unpredictable, and often chaotic. In the early stages, progress was hampered by a shortage of resources and negatively affected by policy silos. In spite of formidable barriers, a high degree of stakeholder convergence was achieved, which facilitated ground-breaking policy formulation. Success factors included a common health promotion issue frame that participants adopted early in the consultative process, "champions" within the federal government's health sector, strong advocates within a broad stakeholder community, and an innovative policy-formulation process overseen by an intersectoral advisory committee. Authentic partnerships among government, industry, and key stakeholders strengthened policy-making processes while helping to overcome policy silos at the organizational level. Barriers were reduced through effective change management practices and collaborative advisory and communication processes. Future research should involve an examination of the population health outcomes associated with this policy initiative.

The acceptability to stakeholders of mandatory nutritional labelling in France and the UK – findings from the PorGrow project

Implementing a European Union (EU)-wide mandatory nutrition labelling scheme has been advocated as part a multi-pronged strategy to tackle obesity. The type of scheme needs to be acceptable to all key stakeholders. This study explored stakeholders' viewpoints of labelling in two contrasting food cultures (France and the UK) to see whether attitudes were influenced by sectoral interests and/or national context. Using Multi Criteria Mapping, a decision analysis tool that assesses stakeholder viewpoints, quantitative and qualitative data were gathered during tape-recorded interviews. In France and the UK, 21 comparable stakeholders appraised nutritional labelling with criteria of their own choosing (i.e. feasibility, societal benefits, social acceptability, efficacy in addressing obesity, additional health benefits) and three criteria relating to cost (to industry; public sector; individuals). When scoring, interviewees provided both optimistic (best case) and pessimistic (worst case) judgements. Overall, mandatory nutritional labelling was appraised least favourably in France. Labelling performed worse under optimistic (best case) scenarios in France, for five out of eight sets of criteria. French stakeholders viewed labelling as expensive, having fewer benefits to society and as being marginally less effective than UK stakeholders did. However, French interviewees thought implementing labelling was feasible and would provide additional health benefits. British and French stakeholders made similar quantitative judgements on how socially acceptable mandatory labelling would be. There is agreement between some stakeholder groups in the two different countries, especially food chain operators. However, cultural differences emerged that could influence the impact of an EU-wide mandatory labelling scheme in both countries.

The 2006–2007 Food Label and Package Survey (FLAPS): Nutrition labeling, trans fat labeling

Since the 1970s, the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition at the United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has studied product labels from the US food supply through the Food Label and Package Survey (FLAPS). The sampling frame for the latest survey, FLAPS 2006–2007, was the ACNielsen Strategic Planner food sales database. As the newest addition to the Nutrition Facts label, this latest FLAPS included trans fat and was utilized to characterize the prevalence of foods reporting trans fat information. For this survey, FDA used a new probability-based sample design to draw a list of food products. Products were purchased from retail stores across the US, and label information was recorded to create the FLAPS 2006–2007 database. Results of initial data analyses show that an estimated 96.3% of FDA-regulated processed, packaged foods have nutrition labeling, with an additional 3.7% exempt from mandatory nutrition labeling requirements. FLAPS data show that 12% of products provide a nutrient content claim about the amount of trans fat on the principal display panel, with over 75% displaying “0 g trans fat.” FDA will continue to analyze FLAPS data as a tracking mechanism to monitor the market response to food label regulations and to support policy, regulatory, economic, and food safety decisions.

Perceptions of New Zealand nutrition labels by Māori, Pacific and low-income shoppers

In New Zealand the burden of nutrition-related disease is greatest among Māori, Pacific and low-income peoples. Nutrition labels have the potential to promote healthy food choices and eating behaviours. To date, there has been a noticeable lack of research among indigenous peoples, ethnic minorities and low-income populations regarding their perceptions, use and understanding of nutrition labels. Our aim was to evaluate perceptions of New Zealand nutrition labels by Māori, Pacific and low-income peoples and to explore improvements or alternatives to current labelling systems. Māori, Samoan and Tongan researchers recruited participants who were regular food shoppers. Six focus groups were conducted which involved 158 people in total: one Māori group, one Samoan, one Tongan, and three low-income groups. Māori, Pacific and low-income New Zealanders rarely use nutrition labels to assist them with their food purchases for a number of reasons, including lack of time to read labels, lack of understanding, shopping habits and relative absence of simple nutrition labels on the low-cost foods they purchase. Current New Zealand nutrition labels are not meeting the needs of those who need them most. Possible improvements include targeted social marketing and education campaigns, increasing the number of low-cost foods with voluntary nutrition labels, a reduction in the price of 'healthy' food, and consideration of an alternative mandatory nutrition labelling system that uses simple imagery like traffic lights.

Do consumers perceive benefits from the implementation of a EU mandatory nutritional labelling program?

This paper examines consumers’ knowledge about nutritional labels (i.e., nutritional panel), use of nutritional labels, and perceived benefits from a mandatory nutritional labeling program. Using data from a pilot study conducted in a Spanish city and a three-equation multivariate probit model, our results suggest that individuals who suffer some health problems related to food intake are more knowledgeable about nutritional labels. Further, those who are more knowledgeable about nutritional labels are more likely to use nutritional labels, and nutritional label users are more likely to consider mandatory nutritional labeling as beneficial. Perceived usefulness of the information provided by nutritional labels as well as the amount of presented information affect consumer perceptions about whether or not mandatory nutritional labeling would be beneficial.

FDA perspectives on health claims for food labels

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's regulatory authority over health claims was clarified in 1990 legislation known as the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA). This law established mandatory nutrition labeling for most foods and placed restrictions on the use of food label claims characterizing the levels or health benefits of nutrients in foods. NLEA set a high threshold for the scientific standard under which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may authorize health claims, this standard is known as the significant scientific agreement (SSA) standard. Subsequent legislation known as the Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act (FDAMA) provided an alternative to FDA review of the health claim where an U.S. government scientific body other than FDA concluded that there is SSA for a substance/disease relationship. Courts have since extended the scope of health claims to include qualified health claims (QHC) that are health claims not substantiated on evidence that meets the level of SSA standard, but include a qualifying statement intended to convey to the consumer the level of evidence for the claim. FDA has responded by developing an evidence-based ranking system for scientific data to determine the level of evidence substantiating a health claim. The following is an overview of FDA's regulations and evidence-based method for evaluating health claims.

Nutritional claims for functional foods and supplements

Food labels are an important educational tool to assist consumers in making healthy food choices. In addition to mandatory nutritional labeling information, manufacturers have a variety of options on the food/supplement packages to communicate the nutrition/health benefits of their products. This paper describes the different types of claims that can be made for foods and supplements.

Nutrition Labeling in the Food-Away-From-Home Sector: An Economic Assessment

Americans spent about 46 percent of their total food budget on food away from home in 2002, up from 27 percent in 1962. Such foods tend to be less nutritious and higher in calories than foods prepared at home, and some studies have linked eating away from home to overweight and obesity in adults and children. Current nutrition labeling law exempts much of the food-away-from-home sector from mandatory labeling regulations. Because consumers are less likely to be aware of the ingredients and nutrient content of away-from-home food than of foods prepared at home, public health advocates have called for mandatory nutrition labeling for major sources of food away from home, such as fast-food and chain restaurants. This report provides an economic assessment of a food-away-from home nutrition labeling policy, including justifications for policy intervention and potential costs and benefits of the policy.