1. Accuracy of declared nutrient content on labels of commercial complementary food products in Cambodia, Indonesia and Senegal.
- Author
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Champeny, Mary, Yuen‐Esco, Katelyn, Juniza, Eva, Sy, Ndeye Y., Kane, Rosenette, Badham, Jane, Mulder, Anzélle, and Pries, Alissa M.
- Subjects
FOOD labeling ,CHILD nutrition ,NUTRITIONAL value ,ENRICHED foods ,CROSS-sectional method ,SATURATED fatty acids ,BABY foods ,PUBLIC health ,NUTRITIONAL requirements ,CALCIUM compounds ,ZINC compounds ,COMMERCIAL product evaluation ,CARBOHYDRATES ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,RESEARCH funding ,METROPOLITAN areas ,MICRONUTRIENTS ,DATA analysis software ,DIETARY sodium ,IRON compounds - Abstract
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. Key messages: None of the 43 commercially produced complementary food (CPCF) products assessed met tolerance thresholds for nutrient label value accuracy, either because of missing nutrient label information or discrepancies with laboratory derived analytical values.The proportion of accurate nutrient label values for individual nutrients ranged from 54.2% (n = 13/24) for calcium to 94.7% (n = 36/38) for sodium.While infant cereals generally had high proportions of accurate label values for the nine nutrients assessed, fewer than half of snacks/finger foods (e.g. rusks/biscuits) had accurate label values for protein and calcium and only a third were accurate for zinc.Nutrient content claims were prevalent across the 43 CPCF products, which can create a 'health halo' (the perception that something is healthy without direct evidence) for these products. However, over half of products with nutrient content claims for iron and calcium were found to contain lower levels of these micronutrients when compared to analytical values. These products were found to overstate iron content and calcium content by a median of 4.71 mg per 100 g product and 101.7 mg per 100 g product, respectively.Nutrient content claims and nutrient declarations should be regulated and monitored by national authorities to ensure accurate labelling of CPCF. Manufacturers of CPCF have a responsibility to provide consumers with correct product information and should be accountable for the content of CPCF nutrient declarations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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