Dataset Information

A policy approach to identifying food and beverage products that are ultra-processed and high in added salt, sugar and saturated fat in the United States: a cross-sectional analysis of packaged foods.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Governments globally aim to reduce the intake of unhealthy foods. Many policies exist that aim to address foods high in saturated fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) but the identification of ultra-processed foods (UPF) have presented a greater challenge due to the lack of an appropriate policy definition. To support policymakers, we provide approaches that can support governments to identify both HFSS foods and UPFs.

Methods

Four approaches combining elements of UPF definitions (i.e., presence of additives) and HFSS definitions were compared attempting to simplify and standardize the identification of less healthy products. Nationally representative food purchase data from NielsenIQ linked with nutrition facts label data were used to examine the mean proportion of product volume purchased by US households to be targeted. Differences between approaches were examined using Student t test; Bonferroni adjusted P value < 0.0001 was considered significant.

Findings

In 2020, 50% of 33,054,687 products purchased by US households were considered UPFs (65% of foods and 38% of beverages) and 43% HFSS (65% of foods and 26% of beverages), however there was not 100% agreement between the two definitions (P < 0.0001). By starting with HFSS criteria and adding elements of UPF (colors and flavors), we were able to provide a method with 100% agreement between the identification of UPFs and HFSS products.

Interpretation

Results demonstrated how combining HFSS criteria with UPF criteria can be used to identify less healthy foods and ensure policymakers have both a simple and accurate method to target products for policy intervention.

Funding

Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Global Food Research Program of UNC-Chapel Hill provided funds.

SUBMITTER: Popkin BM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10943474 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

A policy approach to identifying food and beverage products that are ultra-processed and high in added salt, sugar and saturated fat in the United States: a cross-sectional analysis of packaged foods.

Popkin Barry M BM Miles Donna R DR Taillie Lindsey Smith LS Dunford Elizabeth K EK

Lancet regional health. Americas 20240308

<h4>Background</h4>Governments globally aim to reduce the intake of unhealthy foods. Many policies exist that aim to address foods high in saturated fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) but the identification of ultra-processed foods (UPF) have presented a greater challenge due to the lack of an appropriate policy definition. To support policymakers, we provide approaches that can support governments to identify both HFSS foods and UPFs.<h4>Methods</h4>Four approaches combining elements of UPF definitions ...[more]

PMID: 38495314

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Project description:BackgroundNutrition policies to improve the food environment frequently rely on voluntary business action for implementation, many have had mixed success. The aims of this study were to identify key food system drivers influencing the Australian packaged food sector and analyse how these might impact the willingness of food companies to voluntarily reduce salt in packaged foods.MethodsBusiness methods formed the basis of this retrospective applied policy analysis of voluntary salt reduction for the period 2013-2016 where the focal policy was the Australian Food and Health Dialogue (2009-2015). The analytical framework included political-legal, economic, social, technological (PEST) external drivers of the food system, and Porter's Five Forces for the competitive drivers of the food system. Documentary data identifying food system drivers affecting the Australian packaged food sector (comprised of the food processing and supermarket industries) were identified through a comprehensive search of the grey and academic literatures.ResultsThe interplay between external and competitive food system drivers created an environment in which voluntary salt reduction was found to be an uneasy fit. A high cost of doing business, soft growth, intense competition, asymmetry of power in favour of supermarkets, and marginal consumer interest in less salty food were found likely to create commercial disincentives to invest in voluntary salt reduction above more pressing commercial imperatives. Analysis of food manufacturing industries highlighted the highly contextual nature of food system drivers. Opportunities for nutrition policy included: support for 'shared value' in economic discourse; and, leveraging investor, supermarket, and the largely unrealised bargaining power of consumers.ConclusionBusiness frameworks can provide meaningful insights for nutrition policy on how food system drivers can thwart policy goals. Our analysis highlighted areas to incentivise voluntary action and illustrated the importance of political-legal, economic and consumer strategies for salt reduction.

Project description:BackgroundIn recent years, various definitions of "added sugars" have emerged across jurisdictions. Although it is clear how these definitions differ, there is limited understanding of the policy implications associated with these variations.ObjectiveTo test the potential policy implications of different definitions of "added sugars" on the Australian packaged food supply, we developed a method to estimate the content of "added sugars" in packaged foods and applied this to 3 different definitions of "added sugars": (i) United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) added sugar definition, (ii) the World Health Organization (WHO) free sugar definition, and (iii) a comprehensive definition that was developed from a review of the evidence on "added sugars."MethodsUsing a representative sample of 25,323 Australian packaged foods, the "added sugar" content and proportion of products that contain "added sugar" under the 3 definitions were estimated. In addition, a comparative analysis exploring the impact of the US FDA definition (least comprehensive) vs. the comprehensive definition was conducted to understand potential implications of adopting different regulatory definitions in Australia.ResultsThe US FDA definition identified the lowest number and proportion of products with any "added sugars" at 14,380 products (representing 56.8% of all products), followed by the WHO free sugar definition at 15,168 products (59.9%) and the comprehensive definition at 16,260 products (64.2%). The mean estimates for "added sugars" were 8.5 g/100 g, 8.7 g/100 g, and 9.6 g/100 g for the US FDA, WHO, and comprehensive definitions, respectively. Compared with the US FDA definition, the comprehensive definition captured an additional 7.4% of products, largely driven by nonalcoholic beverages, special foods and fruit, vegetables, nuts, and legumes.ConclusionsDespite small variations in different "added sugars" definitions, their application has some significant policy implications. Findings highlight the importance of applying a comprehensive regulatory definition that adequately captures all sugars that have been linked to poor health.

Dataset Information

A policy approach to identifying food and beverage products that are ultra-processed and high in added salt, sugar and saturated fat in the United States: a cross-sectional analysis of packaged foods.

Background

Methods

Findings

Interpretation

Funding

Publications

A policy approach to identifying food and beverage products that are ultra-processed and high in added salt, sugar and saturated fat in the United States: a cross-sectional analysis of packaged foods.

Similar Datasets

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