Search

A recommendation for increased whole grain consumption was released in Canada in 2007 to promote adequate intakes of fibre and magnesium. Since then, a proliferation of 'whole grain' claims on food packaging has been observed, but whole grain labelling is voluntary and unregulated in Canada. Through a detailed survey of bread sold in three supermarkets, this study examined how the presence of front-of-package reference to whole grain relates to (i) the presence and nature of whole grain ingredients, (ii) nutrient content, and (iii) price of the product. Twenty-one percent of breads bore a reference to whole grain on the front-of-package and the front-of-package reference to whole grain was a better predictor of fibre content than any information that could be gleaned from the ingredient list. On average, breads with a whole grain reference were higher in fibre and magnesium and lower in sodium. Mean price did not differ by presence of a whole grain reference, but breads with whole grain labelling were less likely to be low in price. Voluntary nutrition labelling may be targeting a discrete market of health-conscious consumers who are willing to pay premium prices for more healthful options., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A study of within-subject variation in the reported food intakes and food selections of 29 adults participating in the Beltsville One-Year Dietary Intake Study suggests that individuals possess characteristics levels of day-to-day variation in intake. Application of Bartlett's test of homogeneity of variance indicated heterogeneity of within-subject variance in energy intake and in selected nutrients controlled for energy. Comparisons of estimates of within-subject variation derived from a split sample of days revealed the relative stability of individuals' magnitudes of day-to-day variation in energy and nutrient intake over time. For some nutrient variables, a large proportion of the observed heterogeneity in within-subject variation could be explained by a linear relationship between subjects' standard deviations and their mean intake levels. However, heterogeneity persisted when subjects' coefficients of variation were compared, suggesting that mean intake differences are insufficient to explain the observed differences in subjects' levels of day-to-day variation. The magnitude of observed variation in an individual's food intake and food selection from one day to the next appears to be a meaningful descriptor of that individual's intake behaviour.