Dataset Information

Identifying foods with good nutritional quality and price for the Opticourses intervention research project.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

People on a limited budget want to know the 'good price' of foods. Here we report the methodology used to produce an educational tool designed to help recognize foods with good nutritional quality and price, and assess the validity and relevancy of the tool.

Design

A 'Good Price Booklet' presenting a list of foods with good nutritional quality and price was constructed. The validity of the in-booklet prices was assessed by comparing them with prices actually paid by households from the Opticourses project. The relevancy of the booklet tool was assessed by semi-structured interviews with Opticourses participants.

Setting

Socio-economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods of Marseille, France.

Subjects

Ninety-one participants collected household food-purchase receipts over a 1-month period.

Results

Based on the French food database, foods with higher-than-median nutritional quality were identified. After grouping similar foods, 100 foods were selected and their corresponding in-booklet prices were derived based on the distribution of average national prices by food group. Household food purchases data revealed that of the 2386 purchases of foods listed in the booklet, 67·1 % were bought at prices lower than the in-booklet prices. Nineteen semi-structured interviews showed that participants understood the tool and most continued using it more than a month after the intervention.

Conclusions

A method was developed to ease the identification of foods with good nutritional quality and price. The Good Price Booklet is an effective tool to help guide people shopping on a low budget.

SUBMITTER: Dubois C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10261605 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Identifying foods with good nutritional quality and price for the Opticourses intervention research project.

Dubois Christophe C Tharrey Marion M Darmon Nicole N

Public health nutrition 20170914 17

<h4>Objective</h4>People on a limited budget want to know the 'good price' of foods. Here we report the methodology used to produce an educational tool designed to help recognize foods with good nutritional quality and price, and assess the validity and relevancy of the tool.<h4>Design</h4>A 'Good Price Booklet' presenting a list of foods with good nutritional quality and price was constructed. The validity of the in-booklet prices was assessed by comparing them with prices actually paid by hous ...[more]

PMID: 28903786

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Project description:Notwithstanding a growth in popularity and consumption of gluten-free (GF) food products, there is a lack of substantiated analysis of the nutritional quality compared with their gluten-containing counterparts. To put GF foods into proper perspective both for those who need it (patients with celiac disease) and for those who do not, we provide contemporary data about cost and nutritional quality of GF food products. The objective of this study is to develop a food composition database for seven discretionary food categories of packaged GF products. Nutrient composition, nutritional information and cost of foods from 63 GF and 126 gluten-containing counterparts were systematically obtained from 12 different Austrian supermarkets. The nutrition composition (macro and micronutrients) was analyzed by using two nutrient composition databases in a stepwise approximation process. A total of 63 packaged GF foods were included in the analysis representing a broad spectrum of different GF categories (flour/bake mix, bread and bakery products, pasta and cereal-based food, cereals, cookies and cakes, snacks and convenience food). Our results show that the protein content of GF products is >2 fold lower across 57% of all food categories. In 65% of all GF foods, low sodium content was observed (defined as <120 mg/100 g). Across all GF products, 19% can be classified as source high in fiber (defined as >6g/100 g). On average, GF foods were substantially higher in cost, ranging from +205% (cereals) to +267% (bread and bakery products) compared to similar gluten-containing products. In conclusion, our results indicate that for GF foods no predominant health benefits are indicated; in fact, some critical nutrients must be considered when being on a GF diet. For individuals with celiac disease, the GF database provides a helpful tool to identify the food composition of their medical diet. For healthy consumers, replacing gluten-containing products with GF foods is aligned with substantial cost differences but GF foods do not provide additional health benefits from a nutritional perspective.

Project description:Food packaging marketing techniques which appeal to children (such as cartoon characters and brand mascots) affect children's choices, preferences, and eating habits. Several studies have assessed the nutritional quality of food intended to children in various countries and concluded that most were high in fat, salt, and sugar (HFSS) and ultra-processed foods. The aim of this study is to analyse products intended for children over the age of 3 (foods and beverages with relevant marketing elements on the packaging) available on the French market as regards: (1) nutritional quality, based on the Nutri-Score labelling system, (2) compliance with expected nutritional profile suitable for children, according to the criteria of the WHO Europe Nutrient Profile Model, and (3) degree of processing, as defined by the NOVA classification, from packaging collected in 20 stores (hyper/supermarkets, hard-discount retail chains, and organic food stores). The marketing strategies most often used on children's products are cartoons (97.22%; n = 1120) and mascots (77.78%; n = 896). A total of 1155 products were included in the study, most of which were sugary foods: almost a quarter of the products in the sample (23.81%; n = 275) list a sweetener as the first ingredient, and most of them (89.52%; n = 1034) contain free sugars according to the WHO definition. All the products included in our study feature marketing elements targeting on the packaging, yet 94.88% do not meet the criteria of the WHO Europe Nutrient Profile Model. Most (58.68%; n = 676) belong to Nutri-Score groups D and E, with the highest proportion in group D (39.32%; n = 453) and are ultra-processed (87.97%; n = 1016), especially through the use of flavourings and ultra-processed sugars. Using the Nutri-Score, the WHO Europe Nutrient Profile Model, and the NOVA classification, this study suggests that a significant share of pre-packaged foods marketed to children do not have an adequate nutritional profile. As such, measures are needed to regulate what marketing elements aimed at children can be included on packaging, based on these criteria.

Dataset Information

Identifying foods with good nutritional quality and price for the Opticourses intervention research project.

Objective

Design

Setting

Subjects

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Identifying foods with good nutritional quality and price for the Opticourses intervention research project.

Similar Datasets

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