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A comparison of the nutritional quality of products offered by the top packaged food and beverage companies in Canada.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Canada's food supply is abundant in less healthy products, increasing Canadians' risk of obesity and non-communicable diseases. Food companies strongly influence the food supply; however, no studies have examined differences in the healthfulness of products offered by various companies in Canada. This study aimed to compare the nutritional quality of products offered by the top packaged food and beverage companies in Canada. METHODS:Twenty-two top packaged food and beverage manufacturing companies were selected, representing >?50% of the Canadian market share in 2018. Nutritional information for products (n?=?8277) was sourced from the University of Toronto Food Label Information Program 2017 database. Descriptive analyses examined the nutritional quality of products based on: 1) the Health Star Rating (HSR) system; 2) calories, sodium, saturated fat and total sugars per 100?g (or mL) and per reference amounts (RAs) defined by Health Canada; and 3) "high in" thresholds for sodium, saturated fat and total sugars proposed by Health Canada for pending front-of-package labelling regulations. Kruskal-Wallis tests compared HSRs of products between companies. RESULTS:Mean HSRs of companies' total product offerings ranged from 1.9 to 3.6 (out of 5.0). Differences in HSRs of products between companies were significant overall and for 19 of 22 food categories (P?

SUBMITTER: Vergeer L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7216504 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A comparison of the nutritional quality of products offered by the top packaged food and beverage companies in Canada.

Vergeer Laura L Vanderlee Lana L Ahmed Mavra M Franco-Arellano Beatriz B Mulligan Christine C Dickinson Kacie K L'Abbé Mary R MR

BMC public health 20200511 1

<h4>Background</h4>Canada's food supply is abundant in less healthy products, increasing Canadians' risk of obesity and non-communicable diseases. Food companies strongly influence the food supply; however, no studies have examined differences in the healthfulness of products offered by various companies in Canada. This study aimed to compare the nutritional quality of products offered by the top packaged food and beverage companies in Canada.<h4>Methods</h4>Twenty-two top packaged food and beve ...[more]

PMID: 32393206

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Project description:Background: The global obesity pandemic and rates of nutrition-related noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) have increased worldwide, especially in the Latin American and Caribbean region. In an attempt to control this obesity epidemic, the Chilean government has established a comprehensive set of regulatory actions, including beverage taxation, warning labels on foods, and marketing restrictions to children. To improve the effectiveness of actions to prevent obesity, a better understanding of the food environment is needed. Objective: We developed and standardized photographic methods to assess and monitor packaged food and beverage products in supermarkets. Methods: A standardized protocol and food categorization system was used to guide photo collection and data management of photos taken between February and April 2015 in 11 supermarkets, consisting of 5 different supermarket chains, from high- (n = 6) and lower-middle (n = 5)-income neighborhoods in Santiago, Chile. Photos (n = ∼50,000) from nearly 10,000 unique food products from high- and lower-middle-income neighborhoods were used for this study. Results: We developed standardized methods to use photographs to assess and monitor the food environment. A food categorization scheme is essential to guiding the data collection process. Substantial time and human resources are required to assess packaged food and beverage products in supermarkets. Because the number of photos per food product is variable, the organization of the photographs according to the food categorization system, before data entry, is imperative for easy access during data entry and analysis. We identified the information necessary for a photographic registry, which, with the food categorization system, is critical to create unique identifiers that are linked to each food product and its photos. Conclusions: To adequately monitor food environments, standardized methods for food photo collection and management are essential. The information collected on food package photos to monitor food environments is important for guiding and evaluating actions in the context of the ongoing obesity and NCD epidemics.

Project description:Improvement of national food supplies are an opportunity to improve a country's health. Our aim was to identify the major food companies manufacturing packaged foods and non-alcoholic beverages available in New Zealand supermarkets in 2018; to assess the healthiness of products using (1) the Health Star Rating (HSR) system, (2) Australian Dietary Guidelines classification (core/discretionary), and (3) by level of processing; to compare the healthiness of products displaying and not displaying the HSR and; to assess potential for food reformulation within selected food sub-categories. Information on packaged foods was obtained from the Nutritrack supermarket database. Companies that manufactured each food and brand were identified using company websites and the New Zealand companies register. In total, 13,506 packaged products were mapped to 1,767 brands and 1,214 companies. Based on market share of products available for sale (Euromonitor data), there were 22 dominating companies producing 31% of products and 17% of brands. Fifty-nine percent of products were classified as unhealthy (HSR <3.5/5 stars), 53% as discretionary, and 69% as ultra-processed. Products displaying the HSR on the package had a higher mean HSR ±SD than if the HSR was not displayed (3.2±1.3 versus 2.5±1.4, p = 0.000). Efforts to improve the healthiness of products should be directed to the 22 food companies dominating this market share, particularly in the core foods groups which are currently less likely to meet Heart Foundation reformulation targets (bread, breakfast cereals, cheese, canned baked beans, yoghurt). The New Zealand supermarket packaged food supply included in the Nutritrack database is dominated by a small number of companies and is mostly unhealthy. Government leadership is required to improve the healthiness of the packaged food supply and provide adequate information to consumers. This includes interventions setting reformulation targets for core food groups, setting population nutrient intake targets and mandating that the HSR is displayed on all products.

Project description:BackgroundAs diet-related diseases have increased over the past decades, large food companies have come under scrutiny for contributing to this public health crisis. In response, the food industry has implemented Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives related to nutrition and physical activity to emphasize their concern for consumers. This study sought to describe the nature and targeted demographic of physical activity and nutrition-related CSR initiatives of large food companies in Canada and to compare companies who participate in the Canadian Children's Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative (CAI), a self-regulatory initiative aimed at reducing unhealthy food advertising to children, with non-participating companies.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016. Thirty-nine large food companies, including 18 participating in the CAI, were included in the study. The webpages, Facebook pages and corporate reports of these companies were surveyed to identify CSR initiatives related to nutrition and physical activity. Initiatives were then classified by type (as either philanthropic, education-oriented, research-oriented or other) and by targeted demographic (i.e. targeted at children under 18 years or the general population). Differences between CAI and non-CAI companies were tested using chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests.ResultsOverall, 63 CSR initiatives were identified; 39 were nutrition-related while 24 were physical activity-related. Most (70%) initiatives were considered philanthropic activities, followed by education-oriented (20%), research-oriented (8%) and other (2%). Almost half (47%; n = 29) of initiatives targeted children. Examples of child-targeted initiatives included support of school milk programs (n = 2), the sponsorship of children's sports programs (n = 2) and the development of educational resources for teachers (n = 1). There were no statistically significant differences in the number of CSR initiatives per company (CAI: Mdn = 1, IQR = 3; non-CAI: Mdn = 0, IQR = 2; p = .183) or the proportion of child-targeted initiatives (CAI: 42%; non-CAI: 54%; p = .343) between CAI and non-CAI companies.ConclusionFood companies, including many that largely sell and market unhealthy products, are heavily involved in physical activity and nutrition-related initiatives in Canada, many of which are targeted to children. Government policies aimed at protecting children from unhealthy food marketing should consider including CSR initiatives that expose children to food company branding.

Project description:ImportanceInitiatives to reduce sodium in packaged foods have been launched in the United States, yet corresponding changes in the amount of sodium that US households obtain from packaged foods have not been evaluated, to our knowledge.ObjectiveTo assess 15-year changes in the amount of sodium that US households acquire from packaged food purchases, the sodium content of purchases, and the proportion of households that have purchases with optimal sodium density.Design, setting, and participantsLongitudinal study of US households in the 2000 to 2014 Nielsen Homescan Consumer Panel, a population-based sample of households that used barcode scanners to record all packaged foods purchased throughout the year. Time-varying brand- and product-specific nutrition information was used for 1 490 141 products.Main outcomes and measuresSociodemographic-adjusted changes in mean sodium per capita (mg/d) and sodium content (mg/100 g), overall and for top food group sources of sodium, and the proportion of households that have total purchases with sodium density of 1.1 mg/kcal or less.ResultsIn a nationwide sample of 172 042 US households (754 608 year-level observations), the amount of sodium that households acquired from packaged food and beverage purchases decreased significantly between 2000 and 2014 by 396 mg/d (95% CI, -407 to -385 mg/d) per capita. The sodium content of households' packaged food purchases decreased significantly during this 15-year period by 49 mg/100 g (95% CI, -50 to -48 mg/100 g), a 12.0% decline; decreases began in 2005 and continued through 2014. Moreover, the sodium content of households' purchases decreased significantly for all top food sources of sodium between 2000 and 2014, including declines of more than 100 mg/100 g for condiments, sauces, and dips (-114 mg/100 g; 95% CI, -117 to -111 mg/100 g) and salty snacks (-142 mg/100 g; 95% CI, -144 to -141 mg/100 g). However, in all years, less than 2% of US households had packaged food and beverage purchases with sodium density of 1.1 mg/kcal or less.Conclusions and relevanceIn this nationwide study, significant reductions in sodium from packaged food purchases were achieved in the past 15 years. Nonetheless, most US households had food and beverage purchases with excessive sodium density. Findings suggest that more concerted sodium reduction efforts are needed in the United States.

Project description:BackgroundThe food industry advertises unhealthy foods intended for children which in turn fosters poor diets. This study characterized advertising expenditures on child-targeted products in Canada and compared these expenditures between Quebec, where commercial advertising to children under 13 is restricted, and the rest of Canada, where food advertising to children is self-regulated.MethodsAdvertising expenditures data for 2016 and 2019 for 57 select food categories and five media channels were licensed from Numerator. Products and brands targeted to children were identified based on their nature and the advertising techniques used to promote them. Advertising expenditures were classified as healthy/unhealthy using Health Canada's nutrient profile model. Expenditures per child capita aged 2-12 years were calculated and expenditures from 2016 were adjusted for inflation. Advertising expenditures were described by media, food category, year, and geographic region.ResultsOverall, $57.2 million CAD was spent advertising child-targeted products in Canada in 2019. Television accounted for 77% of expenditures followed by digital media (18%), and the food categories with the highest expenditures were candy/chocolate (30%) and restaurants (16%). The totality of expenditures (99.9%-100%) in both Quebec and the rest of Canada in 2016 and 2019 were considered 'unhealthy'. Across all media channels (excluding digital), advertising expenditures were 9% lower in 2019 versus 2016. Advertising expenditures per capita were 32% lower in Quebec ($9.40/capita) compared to the rest of the country ($13.91/capita).ConclusionIn Canada, millions are spent promoting child-targeted products considered inappropriate for advertising to children. While per capita advertising expenditures for these products are lower in Quebec compared to the rest of Canada, they remain high, suggesting that Quebec's commercial advertising restrictions directed to children are likely not sufficiently protecting them from unhealthy food advertising.

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A comparison of the nutritional quality of products offered by the top packaged food and beverage companies in Canada.

Publications

A comparison of the nutritional quality of products offered by the top packaged food and beverage companies in Canada.

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