Estado de las Políticas de regulación para el consumo de azúcar y para la comida chatarra en 3 países de América Latina

Introducción: El consumo de bebidas azucaradas y alimentos no saludables es un problema de Salud Pública y de las Políticas Públicas que buscan reducir el impacto de las Enfermedades No Trasmisibles (ENT) en América Latina. Objetivo: identificar las Políticas Públicas generadas en Colombia, Argentina y Chile para la regulación del consumo de azúcar y comida chatarra. Materiales y Métodos: Análisis exploratorio a través de una revisión de literatura y revisión de documentos normativos. Resultados: Colombia en el año 2021 sancionó la Ley 2120 denominada "Ley de Comida Chatarra", que promueve el acceso a información necesaria para fomentar entornos alimentarios saludables y prevenir las ENT, que incluye nuevas normas para el etiquetado de alimentos y describir sus características al consumidor y así limitar el consumo de alimentos procesados y ultraprocesados. Chile fue pionero en el desarrollo de los sellos de advertencia y desde el año 2014, aplica un impuesto adicional a las bebidas no alcohólicas. Argentina en 2021, sancionó la ley que obliga a la industria de alimentos a disponer de etiquetas en los envases que alerten al consumidor sobre los excesos de azúcares, grasas y sodio Conclusiones: Los tres países investigados cuentan con políticas de etiquetado de alimentos procesados, y en Chile existen impuestos a las bebidas azucaradas. Es importante estudiar el impacto de dichas políticas en la prevalencia y severidad de las ENT y de la caries.

Abstract: The consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and unhealthy foods is a public health problem that has become a regulatory issue for the public policies aimed at reducing the impact of Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in Latin America. Objective: to identify the Public Policies in Colombia, Argentina and Chile for the regulation of the consumption of sugar and junk food. Materials and methods. Exploratory analysis through a literature and policy documents review. Results: In 2021, Colombia approved the Law 2120 called "Junk Food Law" promoting public access to information for a healthy food environment to prevent NCDs. It includes food labeling for overweight and obesity prevention and establishes a specific labeling regulation for processed and ultra-processed food and sweet drink products. Chile was pioneer in the development of warning stamps on food packages and since 2014 also taxes sweet non-alcoholic beverages. In 2021, Argentina approved a law to add labels on food packages to alert consumers about excess of sugars, fats and sodium. Conclusions: The three investigated countries have labeling policies for processed food, and Chile puts taxes on sugary drinks. It is important to study the impact of these policies on NCD prevalence, severity and on dental caries.

Acceptance and effectiveness of the Healthier Choice Logo (HCL) among food industries in Malaysia

@#Introduction: The Healthier Choice Logo (HCL) was introduced in 2017 by the Ministry of Health Malaysia. This paper analysed acceptance of HCL, effectiveness of HCL in encouraging healthier product reformulation, and factors affecting reformulation among food industries. Methods: An online self-administered questionnaire consisting of four sections utilising multiple choice and 5-point Likert scale questions was distributed to food industries in Malaysia. Sample size calculation yielded 100 respondents. Results: Food industries had a higher acceptance of the processes and requirements involved in HCL implementation. HCL was highly effective in encouraging product reformulation among food industries in Malaysia. Meeting consumer demand, improving brand image, public health, more awareness around nutrition labelling, logo and national nutrition target, more technical knowledge and budget were found to motivate healthier product reformulation. However, product suitability, consumer acceptability, difficulties maintaining taste and shelf life, and limited budget were the challenges faced in product reformulation. There was no correlation between HCL acceptance and factors encouraging or inhibiting reformulation. Conclusion: These findings are expected to help relevant authorities or stakeholders make changes, if necessary, towards processes and requirements involved in HCL application to ensure wider HCL implementation. Future research should identify the relationship between HCL implementation and public health improvement among the Malaysian population.

Objective understanding of five front-of-pack labels among consumers in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa

Objective: This study aimed to assess the objective understanding of five front-of-pack label formats, namely the Reference Intake, Multiple Traffic Light label, Nutri-Score, health endorsement logo and warning label, among consumers in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa. Design: This was a cross-sectional, exploratory study. Setting: Interviewer-administered surveys were conducted at 12 randomly selected food retail outlets in an urban setting.Subjects: A total of 359 adult participants were included in this study. Outcome measures: Objective understanding was measured by asking participants to rank food products according to their nutritional quality, using the displayed front-of-pack label. Results: The type of front-of-pack label significantly influenced ranking ability (p < 0.00001). All the evaluative front-of-pack labels significantly improved the participants' ability to identify healthier food products compared with the no-label control. The reductive Reference Intake, however, showed no significant impact on consumer understanding. Conclusion: Evaluative front-of-pack labels significantly improved the participants' ability to identify healthier food products, when compared with the Reference Intake and no-label control. Future research should test the objective understanding of culturally diverse groups in South Africa, particularly among rural populations.

Understanding barriers towards the use of food labels among Saudi female college students

@#Introduction: A food label is an important tool that provides nutritional information which influences consumers by promoting awareness on their diet and improving health status. This study aimed to assess nutrition knowledge level, food label usage, and the barriers that hinder the use of food labels among students in Health Colleges at the Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University (PNU). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among Health College students at PNU in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). A total of 572 participants were interviewed through a validated questionnaire on social demographic characteristics, nutrition knowledge level, food label use, and barriers that hinder food label use. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS (version 21), with statistical significance set at p-value <0.05. Results: Only 27.4% of the participants stated that they always or usually use food labels when purchasing food products. Majority of the participants (59.4%) had moderate nutrition knowledge. Factors significantly associated to food label use were nutrition knowledge (R2=0.21), attitude towards health value of the products (R2=0.35), and taste (R2=-0.22). About 41.0% of the participants indicated that time constraint was the main barrier for not using food labels, followed by no interest (31.3%), no need (27.8%), and difficult to use (24.8%). Conclusion: This study found that food label use was low among the participants. Nutrition knowledge supported food label use while time constraint was the main barrier that hindered the use of food label among them. Raising students’ nutrition knowledge level through nutrition education programmes could promote food label use.

Actitudes de madres de preescolares ante la implementación de la ley de etiquetado nutricional en Chile / Attitudes of mothers of preschools in the implementation of the nutritional labeling law in Chile

Debido a los cambios en los estilos de vida y su reflejo en la prevalencia de malnutrición por exceso a nivel mundial, en Chile (2016) se aprobó la Ley sobre Composición de los Alimentos y su Publicidad. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar las actitudes alimentarias en madres de preescolares de distinto nivel socioeconómico y el estado nutricional de sus hijos, frente a la publicidad de alimentos y bebidas a través de distintas formas de promoción comercial, así como su actitud ante la Ley 20.606. Se aplicó una encuesta validada, la cual incluye preguntas sobre las etiquetas en los envases de los alimentos. Se realizó un análisis descriptivo de las variables y se determinó si existía diferencias entre la distribución de las respuestas según NSE mediante la prueba Chi2 .Al consultar los lugares en los que han visto publicidad de alimentos, 72% de las madres refiere haberla visto en los supermercados y 48,5% en internet. Sólo 34, 8% refirió recordar algún comercial en particular, y al solicitarles que especificaran el comercial que recordaban, 45,3% nombró alguna bebida azucarada y 13,6% alguna de yogurt. Respecto a los sellos de advertencia presentes en los envases de los alimentos, 87% declaró que les gustaban o les parecían bien. Sólo 43,6% respondió que había dejado de comprar alimentos con dichos sellos. Estos resultados serán útiles para el diseño de intervenciones específicas para este importante grupo, ya que un cambio positivo en sus conductas actuales podría repercutir en la creación de hábitos saludables en sus hijos e hijas(AU)

Due to changes in lifestyles and its reflection on the worldwide prevalence of malnutrition due to excess, in Chile (2016) the Law on Food Composition and its Advertising was approved. The objective of this study was to determine the nutritional attitudes of 509 mothers of preschoolers of different socioeconomic levels and the nutritional status of their children, in front of the advertising of food and beverages through different forms of commercial promotion, as well as their attitude towards Law 20,606. A validated survey was applied, which includes questions about labels on food containers. A descriptive analysis of the variables was carried out to determine if there were differences between the distributions of the responses according to the SEL using the Chi2 test. When consulting the places where they have seen the food advertising, 72% of the mothers reported having seen it in the supermarkets and 48.5% on the internet. Only 34, 8% reported to remembering a particular commercial, and when asked to specify the commercial they remembered, 45.3% named a sugary drink and 13.6% some yogurt. Regarding the warning seals present on food containers, 87% stated that they liked them or they seemed good to them. Only 43.6% answered that they have stopped buying foods with these labels. These results will be useful for the design of specific interventions for this important group, since a positive change in their current behaviors could have an impact on the creation of healthy habits in their children(AU)

Added sugars: Definitions, classifications, metabolism and health implications / Açúcares de adição: definições, classificações,metabolismo e implicações à saúde

ABSTRACT The sugars added to foods have been featured in recent scientific research, including the publication of the World Health Organization recommendation to limit consumption of added sugars, based on studies on weight gain and dental caries. However, it is possible that there is evidence of an association between excessive consumption and other pathologies, but scientific studies have yet to investigate these associations. Moreover, there is no consensus on the descriptions and definitions of these sugars, with several terms and components used to designate them. In Brazil, there are few studies investigating added sugars, identifying a lack of discussion on this subject. This paper presents a literature review of sugars added to foods, from their definitions and classifications to the metabolism and health effects. The search was performed without limiting dates in the following databases: Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed and SciELO, as well as in national and international official sites. Keywords in Portuguese and English related to sugars added to foods were used, in combination with terms related to systematic review and meta-analysis studies, in order to find research linking added sugars consumption with health damage. The literature indicates that there is a relationship between excessive consumption of added sugars and various health outcomes, including weight gain, type 2 diabetes Mellitus, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. The different descriptions of sugars in foods may confuse both food consumers and researchers, since each term includes different components. Thus, it is suggested to use the standardized term "added sugar" as the most suitable term for the broader population to understand, because it indicates that those sugars are not natural food components.

RESUMO Os açúcares adicionados aos alimentos estão em destaque em pesquisas científicas recentes, inclusive em decorrência da publicação da Organização Mundial da Saúde com recomendações de limitação do seu consumo, baseando-se em estudos sobre ganho de peso e cárie dental. Entretanto, é possível que haja evidências de associação do consumo excessivo com outras patologias, mas não foram encontrados estudos que as reúnam. Além disso, ainda não há consenso científico quanto às denominações e definições desses açúcares. No Brasil, há poucos estudos que investigaram os açúcares de adição, identificando-se escassez de discussão a respeito. Diante disso, este artigo apresenta uma revisão de literatura sobre os açúcares adicionados aos alimentos, desde suas definições e classificações até o metabolismo e efeitos à saúde. A busca de informações foi realizada nos bancos de dados: Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed e SciELO, bem como em sites de órgãos oficiais nacionais e internacionais. Foram utilizados unitermos em português e inglês relacionados aos açúcares de adição e a estudos de revisão sistemática e metanálise, para identificação de pesquisas que associam seu consumo a prejuízos à saúde. A literatura aponta relação do consumo excessivo desses açúcares a diversos desfechos em saúde, incluindo ganho de peso, diabetes mellitus tipo 2, câncer e doenças cardiovasculares. As diferentes denominações dos açúcares nos alimentos podem confundir tanto os consumidores quanto os pesquisadores, uma vez que cada termo traz a inserção de componentes distintos. Assim, sugere-se padronização no uso do termo açúcares de adição, que parece ser o mais adequado para o entendimento da população, uma vez que indica que aquele açúcar não é natural do alimento.

Food Label Reading and Understanding among Obese Adults: A Population Study in Malaysia

Food labeling regulation has been implemented to enable consumers, including those with chronic diseases to make healthy informed choices before purchasing pre-packaged foods. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of obese adults in Malaysia who practice reading food labels. It explored types of labels read and understanding of the information. Findings presented in this study were captured from the secondary analysis of National Health and Morbidity Survey’s (NHMS, 2006) food label study which focused only on obese adults (BMI > 30 kg/m2) aged 18 and above. This nation-wide cross sectional study was conducted from April to August 2006 using an interview-based questionnaire. Complex data analysis was done using Stata version 12.0. There were 4565 obese respondents with the mean age of 33 ± 9.7 (18 – 60 years old). About 54.7% completed high-school and 9.9% were higher degree holders. Prevalence of obese adults who claimed to read label was 80.5% (95%CI: 79.3, 81.6). Findings showed significant results in reading and understanding labels among all age group categories, Malay, Indian and other Bumiputras, all education categories and married respondents. Expiry date was the highest percentage being read (74.5%), followed by fat content (15.3%), vitamin (11.8%) and carbohydrate (10.9%). The obese population in Malaysia claimed to read and understand the food label but did not focus on specific macronutrients related to their health condition. Findings can be used to implement effective education programmes targeting the relevant groups to instill an awareness to read, understand and use the label information as one of the means in combating obesity.

Reading and Understanding of Food & Nutrition Labels and Dietary Behaviors of Female Middle and High School Students

This study investigated the use and understanding of food and nutrition labels in 498 female adolescents (middle school students: MS 248, high school students: HS 250) in Gyeonggi-do. Fifty percent of the MS and 47.2% of the HS read food labels, and the most common reasons for reading labels were to find a product's expiration date and price. The food label information considered most important by the subjects was the name of the manufacturing company and expiration date. Over 80% of the subjects read nutrition labels. The MS read nutrition labels to find nutrients and their amounts in foods, while the HS read labels mostly in an effort to control body weight. These subjects gave more attention to calories and fat, the nutrients related to body weight, than to other nutrients. The subjects were highly aware of the necessity and positive effects of nutrition labels, because they believed labels could make it easier for them to choose healthy foods. However, scores for understanding nutrition labels showed the subjects failed to understand label information accurately. Generally, the MS showed better dietary behaviors than HS. But the HS had significantly higher scores than MS for the item "know relative weight with height." Those that read food labels had significantly better BMIs, dietary behaviors, and awareness and understanding of nutrition labels. There were significant positive relationships among awareness & understanding of nutrition labels and subjects' dietary behaviors. The study findings can be utilized to better plan nutrition education programs aiming to improve use and awareness of food and nutrition labels among adolescents.