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One of the main public health issues that has recently been observed in a greater number of children is being overweight. The cause certainly lies in the decreasing physical activity of children, but mostly in their eating habits. Soft drinks are recognized as the most significant contributor to body overweight due to high sugar content; thus, as a result of numerous campaigns, part of the sugar is replaced by artificial sweeteners (ASs). Despite their advantage due to their low caloric value, WHO recommends that they should not be used to achieve weight control or as prevention for reducing the risk of non-communicable diseases, as there is no evidence of their effectiveness. Apart from beverages, artificial sweetener combinations are also added to a variety of "low fat" and "high protein" food products, which are highly favored especially among the young population. Therefore, it is necessary to take care of the cumulative intake. The conducted study included a survey of 323 parents of children aged 1-14 years, as well as an analysis of the AS content in the products most often consumed by the respondents. The results of the survey show that a large part of children (40%) aged 3-14 often consume soft drinks. Different products (soft drinks, juices/nectars, syrups) were sampled based on the respondents' responses, and an analysis showed that 54% of them contained one or more ASs. In addition, the survey indicated parents' lack of information about the presence of AS in products, as 51% of parents declared that they do not read the declarations of the products they buy. It is necessary to persist in consumer education and changes in dietary preferences and habits, especially among children.

The aim of this research was to determine the concentrations of nitrates and nitrites in different types of vegetables that are commonly represented in the diet of the inhabitants of Split and Dalmatian County. Therefore, using the method of random selection, there were 96 samples of different vegetables. The determination of the nitrate and nitrite concentrations was carried out by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a diode array detector (DAD). The nitrate concentrations in the range 2.1-4526.3 mg kg -1 were found in 92.7% of the analyzed samples. The highest nitrate values were found in rucola ( Eruca sativa L.) followed by Swiss chard ( Beta vulgaris L.). In 36.5% of the leafy vegetables intended for consumption without prior heat treatment, nitrite was found in the range of 3.3-537.9 mg kg -1 . The high levels of nitrite in the vegetables intended for fresh consumption and the high nitrate values in Swiss chard indicate the need to establish maximum nitrite limits in vegetables, as well as the broadening of legal nitrate limits to wide varieties of vegetables.